Storms of Fate

Storms of Fate

Part 1: The Calm Before the Storm

Ginny subtly turned up the warming charm on her mittens and scarf as the cold wind hit her as she exited Flourish and Blotts. She mentally checked Hermione's name off her To-Buy-For list. With a family as large as the Weasleys were becoming, the adults had decided to draw names for their gifts and she'd picked Hermione. Ginny shuddered as she thought about the gleam that had come into Fred's eyes as he'd drawn his name from the hat and then glanced her way. She just hoped that whatever it was she got didn't make her blow up like a blueberry like the last "new sensation" for Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes had.

She made her way through the throngs of holiday shoppers in Diagon Alley and toward the Leaky Cauldron where she was to meet Luna and Neville. With a quick glance at her watch she noted their watch hands pointed to Leaky Cauldron so she picked up her pace and didn't notice the dark form that had just exited Quality Quidditch Supplies until it was too late.

Blaise emitted a soft oof as the tiny redheaded witch ran into him. He reached out a hand to steady her and scowled when he realized it was Ginny Weasley. "You do have a special talent for ruining my day, Weasley."

Ginny heaved a mental sigh and felt her face flush at his sneering comment. But she didn't know whether it was from embarrassment or irritation. "Well, I did get the highest NEWT scores in irritating Slytherin gits."

Blaise raised an eyebrow at Ginny's comment. "Huh, I would have thought Ron had the highest score on that one."

"Alas, Ron tried but he had a handicap in Hermione. She wouldn't let him curse any of them even for his NEWT testing. I really am sorry I ran into you." Ginny smiled inwardly, Fred and George had always taught her to choose her words carefully especially if caught in the performance of a prank.

"Well, Voldemort must be wishing he had a coat."

Ginny's eyebrows rose into her hairline at his flippant comment about The Dark Lord that Harry defeated. "Huh?"

"I think hell has truly frozen over. A Gryff just apologized to a Slytherin."

She gathered her bag and started to step around Blaise, as she drew alongside him she grinned, "I would have thought a Slytherin would have recognized the double meaning behind the words better than that."

Blaise finally allowed his smile to show through as Ginny passed him by. Merlin, he loved a good match of wits. He always enjoyed the verbal sparring with the pain in his arse Weasley and not even a threat of the Cruciatus curse would get him to reveal that fact.

~~~~

"I am so sorry I'm late, I ran into Blaise Zabini... literally." Ginny leaned down to give Neville a peck on his cheek before turning to give Luna a welcoming hug. "Now on to happier topics, Happy Christmas." Ginny smiled as she reached inside her purse and pulled out an envelope, which she gave to Luna and Neville.

Neville pushed a brightly colored package that was setting on the table toward Ginny. "Happy Christmas, Ginny."

Ginny's smile grew wider as she looked at the paper that gaily decorated her present. House elves were cavorting on the paper, building snowmen and indulging in a snowball fight. She sputtered as one of the elves missed their target and hit her on the chin.

She turned twinkling eyes to Luna and Neville as she absently wiped the wetness from her chin. "Did you design this paper, Luna?"

Luna nodded enthusiastically. "It's one of my biggest sellers this season."

She carefully slipped her nail under the flap of the envelope that Ginny had handed to them, Luna gasped as she pulled out the present.

"I shrunk it so you can carry it home easily."

Neville leaned over to get a better look at the tiny portrait. Smiling happily at him and waving was a painted version of himself, his beautiful wife holding their daughter, his father-in-law, and his gran. He reached a shaking finger out to carefully caress the smiling faces of the two others that stood next to his grandmother. His parents.

He raised tear-filled eyes to Ginny. "How?"

Tears came to Ginny's eyes as she saw the look of joy and wonder on Neville's face. Ever since Neville had saved her life in the battle with Voldemort she'd wanted to do something special for him and it lifted her heart to think she may have succeeded finally.

"It's a new technique I'm experimenting with. I visited your parents frequently at St. Mungos and had long conversations with your gran and their fellow Aurors to make sure I portrayed them as accurately as I could."

"It's beautiful, Gin. Thanks." Luna squeezed her husband's hand in comfort.

Hoping to lighten the mood Ginny asked Luna, "You put this paper on my gift on purpose didn't you?" Ginny always tore into her presents with abandon in her enthusiasm to get to the gift inside and was constantly teased by her friends and family.

"We had a bet to see if you'd tear into it still or carefully open so as not to disturb the elves."

Ginny wrinkled her nose at them and was sorely tempted to give in and rip but she imagined the horrified, squeaking screams of the house elves as they ran for cover from the giant hand descending on them and decided against it.

With an exaggerated sigh Ginny carefully began to unwrap her gift trying not to disturb the elves too much. "Ha! Didn't think I could do it did you?"

"Nope." Neville grinned at his friend.

Ginny opened the box and lifted out the album. It seemed like pictures were the theme of gifts this year. She lightly traced the lettering of her name on the front before opening to look at the pages inside.

She beamed at the picture of her goddaughter gazing up at her. "Thanks guys. I love it."

"Turn to the last page, Gin." Luna bounced excitedly; she didn't want to wait for Ginny to look through all the pictures. "It's the most recent one."

Now curiosity gripped Ginny as she quickly flipped to the back of the book. She scowled as Blaise Zabini peered back at her. "You gave me a picture of Blaise?!"

Luna snickered and elbowed her husband when she realized that Ginny's eyes had missed the other occupant in the picture and had gone straight to Blaise. "Look closer."

Ginny rolled her eyes and looked back at the picture. Blaise Zabini was kneeling with his hands outstretched toward someone that was off camera. She waited to see who else would be entering and gasped in delight as she saw Hannah jerkily walk toward Blaise and he picked her up in a hug.

"She's walking!"

Luna and Neville both beamed. "Just started yesterday. I desperately wanted to floo you to tell you the news and then I thought it would be a great surprise for today."

"It's a lovely surprise." Ginny tamped down on the jealous surge that Hannah had walked for the first time to her godfather, Blaise and she hadn't been there to see it.

"Did you manage to rearrange your schedule so you can spend Christmas at the Burrow?"

Ginny wrinkled her freckled nose at Neville. "Yes and No. I'm on call for Christmas and Boxing Day. The Ministry's afraid there might be activity by the Dark Wizarding League on those days so all Aurors are on call." Ginny laughed, "You should have heard mum when I told her I might be called in. She huffed and threatened to curse Kingsley if he dared call her baby away on Christmas."