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Another World, Another Time
By herekittykitty

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Category: Alternate Universe, Post-HBP, Post-Hogwarts
Characters:Harry/Ginny, Nymphadora Tonks, Oliver Wood
Genres: Angst, Drama, Fluff, General, Romance, Tragedy
Warnings: Death, Extreme Language, Sexual Situations
Story is Complete
Rating: R
Reviews: 313
Summary: Life goes on after Voldemort's defeat, even though Harry disappears without a trace. How does Ginny deal with his return four years later, when both of them have become very different people?
Hitcount: Story Total: 117078; Chapter Total: 12171





Author's Notes:
...some of the background detail you might be craving!




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Chapter Two: Awake

"For the thousandth time, none of us have heard anything, Ron. No letters, no clues whatsoever..." Hermione's normally confident voice was shaking just a little - she was either close to tears or incredibly frustrated.

"Bloody hell," Ron replied, dragging his fingers through his messy hair. "I can’t believe that no one saw him get hurt or taken.... and there was no sign of a struggle at his place..."

"He wasn’t hurt, Ron. I know you’re thinking that we’re all keeping these details from you because you’re still ill, but we’d never keep this sort of thing from you,” Hermione sighed. “You have to understand, Ron. Harry just... left. About a week after you were hurt, he disappeared and we never heard from him again."

“That makes no sense.”

“Ron, Harry was a mess over what had happened - he knew how you were shielding him from the Death Eaters when you were cornered, and of course, he blamed himself for everything.”

Ginny quietly nodded her assent, willing her brother to change subject, even though she knew there wasn't the slightest chance he would. They’d been having versions of the same conversation for the past ten days. The absence of Harry among the loved ones who had crowded into Ron’s hospital room was far too obvious to everyone. He was Ron’s best friend, and he was gone, without a word to anyone.

A zillion unanswered questions hung in the air. Ginny knew all too well why Ron kept reaching out, grabbing at any question he could, searching those around him for an answer that made sense. There wasn't any answers - there were guesses, ideas, wild speculation. But it just hurt too much to let those questions go. It hurt too much to let Harry go. It was almost impossible to understand that Harry was gone -— no one could tell Ron anything that would heal that betrayal. Harry’s disappearance seemed to defy all logic - it went against the innate sense of loyalty and bravery they’d all assumed was at Harry’s core.

But the facts behind Harry’s disappearance spoke louder than reason. One day, a few weeks after the war had ended, Harry left St Mungo’s, went back to Grimmauld Place and packed his trunk. He sent Hedwig off to Remus’ house, no letter attached to her leg. And then he left, leaving no clue to his proposed destination. All Owls addressed to him had returned unopened. He had walked away from Hermione and Ginny that day while they were seated at Ron’s bedside with a distracted goodbye. That was the last they had heard of him.

The Aurors searched endlessly for evidence of foul play - they were still searching - and they'd found nothing. The fact that he had packed his trunk - all his clothes and personal effects, the framed photo of his mother and father that used to be at his bedside - made it obvious that Harry had simply decided it was time to leave town. There was little doubt.

Ginny had refused to believe it at first. Harry had gone away, sure, but he needed a break from the press and the pressure. If anyone deserved a vacation, it was Harry. She defended him heatedly among friends and family, Hermione always supporting her. Something had to have happened while he was away - maybe he ran into trouble. An Owl would come soon, it just had to. Harry would never abandon his best friend on what could very well be his deathbed.

But Christmas came and went, and there was still no word. The hope that had burned so fiercely in Ginny’s heart - the hope that Harry would return - started to fade, but it was slowly replaced by a new and very different hope - the mediwizards thought her brother could make it through unscathed. She had to concentrate on that: she had to fill her brother’s life with positive energy. She had to help him wake up.

Ginny spent as much time as ever at the hospital with her family, but she no longer jumped up to look every time the door opened. She didn’t lay in bed at night, sleepless, waiting for Owls from her supposed beloved. It was clear as time went on that Harry wasn’t planning on coming back to her. He wasn’t planning on contacting any of them, or letting them know how he was. He had left her for good; worse, he had left her brother at a time when Ron needed everyone there pulling for him, sending him their love. Harry had hurt her deeply; he had hurt everyone who loved him, his entire adoptive family. If Harry was alive somewhere, Ginny swore she would never, ever forgive him for that.

Now, Ron was awake again, speaking and walking and being an iunsufferable git, as usual. He would be leaving the hospital the very next day. He had been in the papers last week under the headline “Minister’s Son Makes Full Recovery”. There had been quotes from her father; pictures of Ron with his arms around two mediwizards, plastered across the front page of the Daily Prophet. There was an hour- long interview with a nervous sounding Ron on the WWN, for Merlin’s sake. And Harry still hadn’t materialized. The conclusion was clear - as unbelievable as it seemed, Harry was either too far enough away that he didn’t know, or worse, he no longer cared.

“I can’t believe he left without a bloody word to anyone. It’s not like him.”

Hermione sighed heavily, folding a wrinkled Chudley Cannons t-shirt and putting it neatly in Ron’s trunk- they were packing for Ron’s return home tomorrow. “I know, Ron. We all have trouble believing it.”

Ron wrinkled his brow. “Hermione, yesterday you mentioned there’s a very small chance that the Death Eaters who escaped Auror custody after the war could have kidnapped him. You said something about how it was unlikely, but no one has ruled it out completely.”

“I’ve ruled it out” Ginny said flatly. Ron looked at her quizzically.

“Honestly, Ron, the idiot took his bloody trunk with him,” she continued, trying to remain unflustered, but failing. spectacularly. “He sent his very distraught owl to live with Remus without so much as a letter. You don’t act like you’re off for some bloody tropical mini-break when Death Eaters are pointing their wands at your head. Harry would have fought back if someone had attacked him - there would have been some sign of a struggle. Harry was aware of his surroundings - he practiced constant vigilance - after what he went through in the war, there’s no chance someone would have taken him by surprise. He just left. It’s hard to believe, Ron, but that’s what happened and you’re going to have to wrap your head around it eventually.”

There was a long silence. Then, Hermione cleared her throat. “In my heart, as much as I hate to say it, I think Ginny’s right,” she said, quietly. "Harry packed up and left, and he’s made it apparent he doesn’t want us to find him."

“You can talk all you like, but I refuse to believe it,” Ron replied stubbornly, sitting on his bed.

"Neville and Luna were both dead. Your father was injured, as was Charlie. And with you being hurt on top of all of that... well, you know how he tortures himself," Hermione said, settling beside Ron and wrapping her arms around him.

Ron sighed. "Maybe he’ll come back now that I’m awake, and I can hex him into a bloody coma for a year.”

“You would not hex him, Ronald. You would welcome him back with open arms,” Hermione scolded. “We all would.”

Ron snorted. "I'll bet you a hundred galleons he's in Paris, or Spain, or on a beach in... oh, I dunno, somewhere bloody fantastic, and he’s knee-deep in loose witches, not caring that we're all worried-"

"I’ve got to go.” Ginny interrupted somewhat curtly, her hand already on the doorknob. She had reached her quota of Harry-talk for the day; if she heard his name one more time, she was sure she’d either burst into tears or start screaming - maybe both.

Her brother stopped his rant, suddenly , realizing what he had been saying. He looked at her sheepishly, worry in his eyes.

“I’m sorry, Gin. That loose witches comment was daft.”

"It's okay, Ron,” Ginny said, softening a little. It wasn’t the comment that bothered her; it was the continued reality of Harry’s disappearance. She’d dealt with it already - it was too hard to relive that pain again.

“I’m just leaving because I've got to be somewhere. I’ll see you at home tomorrow morning?"

Hermione and Ron exchanged a look. “Sure. G'night, Ginny.”

“ ‘Night.”

Ginny shut the door behind her, trying not to cry as she walked back down the hallway towards the exit of St. Mungo's. She was thrilled to have her brother back fully and completely - it was nothing short of a miracle. But Ron was still in the early stages regarding Harry’s disappearance - he was in denial. Ginny knew denial - denial was easy, denial was tempting. Ginny wanted more than anything to believe that Harry was lost somewhere, thinking about her, wanting to be with her - but she couldn’t succumb to those empty hopes. Her whole life had been empty hope in Harry. It was time to move on.

"What’s with the long face, love?" Tonks, her hair long and coloured bright purple, appeared in front of Ginny, and wrapped her in a strong hug.

Ginny sighed against her friend's shoulder. "Thanks, Tonks."

"What’s wrong, Weasley?”

"Everything... well, nothing, really...”

“Oh, c’mon! You’ll feel better if you talk.”

Ginny pushed her hair behind her ears. Tonks was right.

“It’s just.. well, I know I'm going to sound horribly selfish, but it’s too hard re-opening these old wounds so Ron can know about all the sad and horrible stuff he missed. All the people he loved who are gone now..." Ginny said quietly.

“Harry?” Tonks asked quietly.

Ginny nodded.

“You have every right to be selfish where Harry’s concerned, that git,” Tonks reassured her friend, squeezing her shoulder.

Ginny nodded. "I guess so... You know, there’s that saying: time heals all wounds. I don’t know - maybe that saying is true in some cases, but sometimes, for a few moments, the pain comes back, just as fresh as it was last summer when he first left. Nothing has healed, the pain just disguises itself for awhile...”

“Oh, Ginny. It will get better. You just have to focus on what you have here, not what you’re missing.”

“I’m trying to,” Ginny agreed. “Most of the time, I’m so happy to have Ron back that I don’t care how much it hurts to talk about Harry. I’d sit there and discuss every painful secret I know in detail, just to know he’s finally able to hear and respond."

“You need to relax, Gin! Get out of this horrid place for a bit."

“I have been getting out. I’ve been practicing for Quidditch tryouts for six hours every bloody morning this week.” Ginny flopped into the plastic chair outside the nurses' station. “What are you doing here, anyways?”

Tonks settled in the chair beside Ginny, twisting a long strand of her purple hair around her finger. “One of the new Aurors hurt himself training today - I’m just checking up on him,” she replied. “My life’s nowhere near as exciting as yours... all this talk of professional Quidditch tryouts.”

“I don’t think I’m going to make it. But it’s fun to try.”

“Well, there’s always the Auror Academy. We’re taking five more recruits at the end of August - you’re a shoe-in.”

“I’ll consider it,” Ginny replied, stretching and stifling a yawn beside her hand. "In the meantime, I feel like I could sleep for a week. I'm going to look a sight tonight," she said, sticking her tongue out at her reflection in the glass.

"What's so special about tonight?"

"Nothing special. I'm just going out for dinner..."

“With who?”

“Oh, uh... just with Ollie.” Ginny kept her voice as nonchalant as possible.

Tonks stared at her, mouth agape. "Ollie? As in Oliver Wood, the famous Quidditch player who was at your parents’ over Christmas?"

“Yeah....”

"What... when in Merlin’s name did this happen?"

Ginny shrugged. "When did what happen?”

“You and this Oliver Wood thing!”

“There’s no thing, Tonks! We’ve just gone out a couple of times, had a few laughs. Oh, and he’s helping me train for Quidditch-”

“You went out a couple of times? What exactly does that mean?” Tonks was perched on the edge of her chair, studying her friend keenly. Ginny fought the urge to laugh.

“Well, we went out three times last week, and then twice the week before. But it’s just for tea-”

"And on top of this, you see him every bloody morning for six hours to play Quidditch?!”

“Yeah, but-”

“Merlin, Ginny, You're absolutely DATING him!" Tonks shrieked, clapping her hands. "Oh, and he's such a dish."

"Well, you know," Ginny shrugged, her face growing red. "I don't know whether going out here and there means we’re dating-"

"Sounds like Witch Weekly's Sexiest Bachelor of the Year is a bachelor no more!" Tonks teased. “Where’s he taking you tonight?”
"We're having dinner in Muggle London and then going to the theatre - wait, was he really the Sexiest Bachelor of the Year?" Ginny’s curiosity was piqued.

"He sure was!,” Tonks grinned conspiratorially. “You might think I'm nothing but a pervy old lady, Gin, but I have this picture from Witch Weekly posted in my cubby at work. It’s your boyfriend, standing in the locker room at Puddlemere wearing only a towel..." Tonks pretended to fan herself. "You are a lucky woman, and that is one dead sexy tattoo."

Ginny’s jaw dropped. "He's got a tattoo?"

Tonks smirked triumphantly. "So I’ll take it your relationship hasn't progressed to the 'seeing each other in towels' phase... well, strike out my next few questions."

Ginny burst into laughter. "You are pervy."

"Well, if I were in your shoes, I’d be getting in my share of towel time. And a lot of ‘“no towel’” time too, as a matter of fact." Tonks got up and did a crazy dance, miming a towel being ripped off.

Ginny was laughing so hard her side had started to cramp. "Never mind the theatre - I'll just bring you along tonight for entertainment."

"I'd drool all over your date - I don’t think Remus would approve,." Tonks replied cheekily.

“Maybe not, Mrs. No-Towel-Time."

Ginny could scarcely believe she’d almost been crying five minutes before. Trust a good friend to turn everything around in a moment.
“So, this Oliver is all right to you, yeah? You’d think a gorgeous bloke like him would be cheeky as hell."

"He's actually very down to earth. He knows he’s cute, I think, but he's not arrogant about it. He's... confident."

Tonks was smiling hugely. "Wow. It's brilliant to see you getting involved a relationship, Gin."

"Thanks. But I'm not sure it's the kind of relationship you think it is..."

"Oh, would you just shush up with that no-dating nonsense? You’re DATING him, Ginny. What else are you going to call it?" Tonks interrupted.

"Just two friends who are getting to know each other better," Ginny replied defensively.

Tonks looked at her for a moment searchingly, squeezing her hand.

"Let him in, Gin. What's the worst that could happen?"
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