A Life Less Ordinary

The rain and cold cement woke Ginny up from her unsettling slumber as she came to realize that she was indeed not in her bed at home. The sky was dark and the streets were noisy with the sounds of people chatting excitedly as they walked by. No one paid attention to the red haired woman that stood to the entrance of an alleyway in clothes that she didn't even remember wearing to bed.

One step took her out into the light of the sidewalk and a large man brushed past her, nearly knocking her down. She stood up and rubbed at her shoulder where his arm had hit and she continued walking down the sidewalk among the other people.

Where was she? She didn't know the answer to that. Why was she there? She didn't know that either.

Ginny sat down on a bench in front of a bakery and began to cry among the clouds of flour that wafted in the air above her from a delivery truck. A man with sandy blonde hair came and sat down on the bench next to her and lit a cigarette. He was an older man, maybe fifty with grey hair and bushy eyebrows. He had a mustace that was as thick as his english accent and wore clothes common from sometime around the forties rather than the time they were in.

"Care for one, Ma'am?" The man reached over and offered her a cigarette from the pack, but she refused. It was not right to trust anyone she did not know.

"No thank you," Ginny replied soflty. She wiped the tears away from her eyes with a tissue she found in the pocket of a wool jacket she wore.

"It's getting to be late," the man commented. "Why are you out so late by yourself?"

Ginny looked over at him through her red, puffy eyes. She could not give this man an answer that she was not sure of herself, so she shrugged and gave a wistful look.

"Miss, you don't look well," the man said. "Do you have anyplace to go tonight?"

Ginny closed her eyes and tried to think of home, but she could not picture an image. Blackness and fewar consumed her thoughts.

"I don't know," Ginny said almost inaudibly.

"I live just around the corner here and across the street," the man said as he pointed. Ginny followed his finger to a large building with several storeys and flowering baskets hanging out the window. It was a lovely place.

"I'm sure my wife wouldn't mind if I brought in a stranger to stay. You look like you could use some cleaning up, too," the man said as an afterthought.

Ginny felt herslf nod as she stood with the man after he had finished his cigarette. He threw it to the ground and stomped on it to make sure it was out before turning and facing Ginny. He stuck out his hand.

"My name is Peter, and you are?"

Ginny stood there looking dumbfounded as she shook the man's hand lightly. The man's smile faded from his face when she did not answer. It was replaced with a look of concern.

"Are you alright? We'd better get you inside and rested up before we start with formalities."

Ginny nodded and walked with the man down the street and into the apartment building where he lived. They walked up one flight of stairs before Peter stopped in front of a large mahogany door and pulled out a key to unlock it. The door opened and a delicious smell of peppermints and cinnamon rushed at Ginny's senses. She smiled and walked inside after Peter.

"Honey!" Peter called through the apartment, looking for his wife. "Honey, were are you? I have someone I want you to come see!"

A large woman about Peter's age came walking out of the bedroom. Her clothes were nothing more than a nightgown since it was so late and she looked as if she may have just woken up. Her hair was pulled in a bun and it was just as grey as her eyes. She came over to her husband and smiled at Ginny as if she knew that she would be coming.

"Who is this?" The woman looked Ginny up and down with concern of her tattered appearance.

"I'm Virginia," Ginny said in a distant voice. She shook hands with the old woman and then listened in as Peter told his wife Marge about how he had come across Ginny on a bench in front of the the old bakery when he was just coming out of work.

"You poor thing!" Marge exclaimed as she took Ginny by the hands. Marge look Ginny right in the eyes and smiled. "We'll get you all cleaned and rested up!"

Ginny smiled and nodded morosely as she was led into a room near the back of the apartment. It was a beautiful room filled with purple flowers and decorations. The walls were a pale shade of lavender and hung on the wall were pictures of landscapes from different parts of the world. The bed was large with a purple and yellow colored bedspread and two pillows to match.

"You can stay here in this room," Marge said as she moved her hand to indicate the room. "It used to belong to my daughter, but she's, well..." Marge's voice trailed off.

"It's beautiful," Ginny found herself saying as she felt the material of the comforter on the bed.

"I'll get you something to wear and you can make yourself comfortable," Marge said as she left the room.

Ginny walked over to the window and looked outside. The streets that were scarcely inhabited a half hour before were now completely empty of all life. They were as dead as the memories were of how she came to be where she was. If only she could remember anything.

"Virginia, I have some clothes for you," Marge said as she walked in and handed a pair of blue pajama pants and a white shirt to Ginny. "It's all I have right now, but I can find something more suiting later. It's getting late, you know."

Ginny nodded and looked back out the window.

"I'll start you a bath if you'll follow me," Molly said as she turned and began to walk out of the room. Ginny followed closely behind with the clothes still in her hands. They walked down a short hallway and came into a large bathroom with with walls and blue floral decor everywhere. Wonderful scented bath oils and perfumes sat on a counter with the sink and Ginny laid her clothes there.

Marge turned on the water for Ginny and made sure it was a warm temperature and not scalding hot. She turned around and smiled at Ginny.

"I guess I'll leave you to your own, Dear. If you need anything, our room is just down the hall from yours. Sleep well."

Ginny nodded and watched as Marge closed the door tight and her shadow was gone from under the door. Ginny looke dup at herself in the large mirror that she stood in front of. Shock was the first thing she felt upon seeing her image in the mirror. She was tattered and torn. Her face was smudged ith dirt and her once red hair was almost brown with the filth in it. Her creamy white skin was grey and her lively eyes were shadowed.

The clothes she wore were something she felt would be uncharacteristic of her even if she had known what she was like anywhere else. A grey woolen jacket with a red shirt and baggy black slacks. Everything clashed and she looked horrible. The only thing she retained that gave her peace of mind was a simple gold chain around her neck with a pendent of a dragon on the end.

Ginny shed the clothing, leaving on the dragon pendant and stepped into the water, letting it sooth her aching bones.

Down the hallway Marge entered the bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed. Peter was already laid down, his eyes closed, but he was not asleep. He looked at his wife when she sat down. A smile crossed his face and he reached out to take her hand in his own.

"She needs to know what she is," Marge said distantly. "It isn't right to keep it from her."

Peter furrowed his brow at his wife and tightened the grip on her hand. "You know we can't say anything. She has to know on her own. It's only right that way."

"I know, but I feel so sorry for the poor dear." Marge pulled back the covers and laid down beside Peter in the bed. She closed her eyes and let out a tiresome sigh.

"I know you do, Marge. I know."

Ginny laid in her bed that night with the sheets around her waist. It was too hot to be comfortable, and dreams kept plaguing her mind. She tossed and twitched, her voice crying out not in passion but in fear of what she was seeing. Horrible beasts that flew and dark creatures that wore robes of black and stole the soul right out of your body. A calmness came over her after a while and for only a short second of bliss she saw a face in her dreams that soothed her senses. But she did not know this man, and she was not sure if she wanted to.

Ginny's eyes came open and she looked at the clock over on the left side of the wall. It was almost three in the morning and she felt as though she would never sleep again in her life. The calmness that she felt for those seconds toward the end of her dream were conveyed to the rest of her body as she stood from the bed and walked to the window. The streets outside were still empty as they had been at dusk.

Ginny looked skyward at the stars as they shined dully through the lights of the city below. The stars that shined now had never seemed quite as bright to her before. Not even when she had paid attention to them had they shined like this. One of them drew her attention and she felt herself making a wish.

A yawn rose up in her throat and she stifled it with her fist. Not wanting to admit to herself she was exhausted, she walked back to the bed and crawled in it, pulling the covers to her chin. A cold chill had entered the room all of a sudden and she it took her back into the world of the unconscious, this time without the nightmares to haunt her.

Outside of Ginny's window, across the street, a man came into the light of a streetlamp. He was dressed in a black robe that touched the ground and dragged as he walked. His hair shimmered in the light and he had a slight bit of arrogance in his step. He stood looking up at the window where Ginny had just paused at and a tear fell from his smiling eyes.

The light poured in the room and bathed everything in its soft glow. The curtains that shielded the window blew in the breeze that wafted in. In skidded across Ginny's skin and blew in her hair, moving the soft red curls only slightly. They tickled her face and she opened her eyes a little to see what sight would behold her.

The purple of the room was what she saw and a frown came to her face. She should not have been upset by what Peter and Marge had given her, but it wasn't that. It was something different and unusual. Hard to point out. Maybe it was just the fact that she didn't know how she ended up in this kind of situation. She was a bit alarmed by the lack of anything that she knew about herself.

The door to the bedroom opened and Marge stood in the doorway wearing an apron that was tainted with flour. Streaks of the same powdery white substance were smudged on her cheeks and nose and a smile lit up her face when she saw that Ginny was indeed awake.

"Good morning, Dear," Marge said as she walked up to the side of Ginny's bed. "Did you sleep well?"

Ginny looked up at her through tired, worn eyes and nodded slightly. Marge bought the lie and clapped her hands together. Flour flew up in the air and lit up Marge's eyes once again. She was a very happy person.

"I was just in the kitchen fixing breakfast. Perhaps you would like to come and help? Or maybe you'll just lay there all day sleeping."

Ginny smiled and sat up in the bed, her hair falling limply on her shoulders. She shook her head and swung her feet out of the bed, letting them touch the floor. She stretched and yawned once and covered her mouth.

"Do you maybe have a spare toothbrush I can use?" Ginny asked hopefully.

"Of course we do," Marge said. "It's sitting in the drawer just below the sink with the others."

Ginny smiled her thanks and stood up, leaving the room to go and clean up. Marge walked over to the window and peered outside to the street below. People from all walks of life were strolling down the street going about their daily business. On a bench not far away a man sat on a bench unnoticed by the people passing by. He stared up at the window at Marge with a relaxed look about his body. His pale hair shimmered in the sunlight and Marge smiled.

Ginny came walking back in the room wearing new clothes and looking refreshed. She grinned happily and walked over to the window to Marge.

"Let's go and make breakfast," Marge said as she took Ginny by the arm. The two women walked merrily ino the kitchen.

That afternoon Ginny decided to take a walk in the park with Marge. They strolled along with the wind in their hair and a skip in their step. It was almost like Ginny hadn't been found on the street that previous night, or that she hadn't dreamt about evil things the previous night. Everything was normal.

Children skipped playfully along the path in front of them playing with their peers. Ginny watched with longing on her face. She wished that she were completely worry free like these children. But she was full of distress at what may come for her in the absense of the memories of a life she knew she had once had.

"You look upset, Dear. Is everything alright?" Marge directed them to a bench where they sat down and enjoyed the feel of the sun against their faces.

"I dont know, Marge. I mean, I'm pleased that you're taking me in for the time, but I'm just unhappy that I don't know how I ended up here. I mean, there has to be some explanation for everything. Doesn't there?"

Marge pursed her lips together and thought out her words carefully. "There is an explanation for everything, Dear. But I'm afraid I can't give you one for your situatuion."

Ginny nodded sadly and wiped at her eyes where the tears once again threatened to fall.

Clouds came over the sun and the park became cooler and darker all of a sudden. Thunder rumbled softly somewhere near and Ginny knew that there would be a storm. All of the children that had been playing happily were escorted away by their mothers with sad looks upon their faces. Ginny knew just how that felt.

The two women left the park not long after the rain began to softly drip from the clouds and they walked solemnly back to the apartment which was no more than two blocks away. On the way there, Marge was kindly pleased to see the same pale haired man from the bench standing in the doorway of a shop, watching as Ginny and herself walked by. She smiled at him and he did nothing more than stare at Ginny wistfully.

The apartment was filled with the wonderful smells of baking cookies when Peter got home that night from the bakery. His hair was dusted with flour and he sneezed upon walking in the door.

"Something sure smells good!" he shouted from the doorway as he hung up his coat and hat.

Ginny came walking out of the kitchen wearing an apron much like Marge had on and carried a plate of chocolate chip cookies with her. She walked up and gave the plate to Peter.

"We baked for you," Ginny said before trodding back to the kitchen. She resumed her place mixing the ingredients, and just as she was about to reach for the eggs, she began to daydream.

The grass felt great as she tromped around on it, holding her dress up so she wouldn't get any stains on it. She had always loved the feeling of warm grass on a summer's day. A shout from a few feet away made her look up and she saw a man in a black piece of clothing that looked almost like a dress. Some type of robe.

The man walked up and embraced her, kissing her softly on the cheek. "I can't believe you're finally going to do it. The last of the family to tie the knot. I suppose your brothers are ready to ring the groom's neck?"

Ginny laughed and batted at the man playfully. "Harry, you know my brothers. They won't kill him until after they get some nieces and nephews. After all, Draco isn't the same git that we all knew in school."

"I know. You're completely and totally-"

"-in love with him. And I will be for a long time. Until the day I die."

A woman in a light blue dress poked her head around the corner that she and Harry stood at talking. The woman smiled and her face shined. "It's time to start, Ginny."

Ginny nodded and waved goodbye to Harry as he ran around the corner and after the woman in the dress. Ginny let out a sigh and thought happily to herself. She was going to get married. It felt great.

Ginny walked around the corner and met up with the rest of the wedding procession. They all looked at her expectantly as she gathered up her wits about her. It took a lot of guts to walk down the aisle in front of the two largest families in the wizarding world. She took in a deep breath and walked slowly to the front of the crowd of people gathered for her wedding and stood next to her groom at the altar.

Ginny turned and looked at hr groom when everything was said and done. She looked at him for the first time since the ceremony had begun and was overwhelmed with what she saw. It was like looking at Draco through new eyes. He seemed different to her in a good way. His eyes had a new sparkle to them and his face had a new glow. The two met together in a hungry kiss as the priest announced them as man and wife to the two families....

Ginny jerked up suddenly and looked around. She was still standing in the kitchen and not on that grassy place where it was warm and the sun shined. No, it was dark and sullen outside where the rain fell against the lonely pavement.

"Are you alright, Dear?" Marge asked as she set a pan of cookies down on the stove, hot from the oven.

Ginny nodded a quick yes and went back to reaching for the eggs that she had been holding her hand out for. She thought back on the vision. Was it a flashback or a dream? Who was the man and was she really married? Her thoughts stayed on him until she went to bed that night.