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Author: Grandma Kate Story: Ginny's Second Year at Hogwarts Rating: Everyone Setting: Pre-OotP Status: Completed Reviews: 4 Words: 30,095
The Harry Potter Universe belongs to J.K. Rowling. I'm just borrowing the characters for a while. This is for pleasure only, no profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended. October began quietly at the Burrow. Percy was Molly and Arthur's only regular weekly communicator from Hogwarts, although the twins and Ginny also wrote occasionally. Bill and Charlie wrote only when they had something to say so they did not hear from their older sons very often. Molly planned to continue with her Walking and Talking group as long as the weather permitted. When it got too stormy, she'd go back to quilting with the Witches and Stitches group and start working on the Weasley Christmas jumpers. Arthur was very busy at the Ministry with raids on suspected Death Eater residences happening with increasing regularity. Percy's letters continued to arrive weekly. Dear Mum and Dad, The first month of school was uneventful and the new students and teachers are settling in. Our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Lupin, seems to know his subject matter well and has become a favorite with the students in all years. The new Care of Magical Creatures teacher, Professor Hagrid, is less popular as some of the creatures he has chosen for us to study are very hard to control. Everyone is being very careful not to do anything that the Dementors would misinterpret. Our Quidditch team has begun meeting to plan strategy for the year. Gryffindor has not won the cup since Charlie left seven years ago. This is my last year and also the last chance for our Quidditch Captain, Oliver Wood, so I know he is exhorting his team to greater effort. He is an excellent Keeper. Our Beaters, Fred and George, and our Seeker, Harry, seem very close to the three young women who are the Chasers. I hope this close teamwork will result in victory over Slytherin. We are scheduled to play them just after Halloween. Ginny seems to be doing well in her classes and is making friends with other second-years. She is in a study group with some of them. Ron is always with Hermione Granger. She is a serious student and therefore must be a good influence on him. He and Harry seem to be doing their homework on a regular basis. I am constantly busy with my duties as Head Boy but I never fail to put my schoolwork first. Sincerely, Percy Fred and George sent another of their 'finishing each other's sentences' letters but it was mostly questions about Quidditch tactics that Charlie had used. They did not mention how they were doing in their classes but did comment on how well Harry was doing in spotting and catching the Golden Snitch even in foul weather. Ginny's letter near the middle of the month was cheerful. Both Molly and Arthur were pleased that she seemed to be fitting so well. Dear Mum and Dad, My classes are going well and I am keeping up with my homework assignments. I have not needed to go to Madam Pomfrey for Pepper-up Potion even though the weather has been cold and rainy. I am very thankful that that I have not yet grown out of my warm dressing gown and slippers. However, I hope I grow a few more inches. Being so short is a big disadvantage when I am trying to reach things on high shelves. No one likes having the Dementors guard our school. They make us all uncomfortable. All of my brothers are watching out for me. Percy asks about my health and schoolwork every time he sees me. Fred and George wave at me from what we Gryffindors call the Quidditch Table. Ron's friend Hermione is always willing to answer questions about schoolwork. The girls in my dormitory are being very nice. We study with some boys from our year. I think this is going to be a really good term. I am doing advanced work in Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts because I like Professor Flitwick and Professor Lupin. I don't have bad dreams as often. I am looking forward to being home for Christmas. Love, Ginny 'We've spent the last two holidays away from the Burrow so I'd like to stay home this Christmas,' said Molly to Arthur. 'Visiting Charlie and Bill was delightful, but we haven't had our own tree or used the ornaments the children made when they were young for two years.' 'We will do whatever you want to, my dear Molly,' said Arthur leaning in to kiss her. 'Wherever you are is where I want to be at Christmas.' He looked at his wife with great affection. 'Being with you is being home.' ***** As the weather became cooler and all of the garden clean-up was finished, Molly had more time to listen to her favorite program on the Wizarding Wireless Network. She especially liked the deep voice of the WWN Chief Announcer, Dominic Meath, Sr, as he introduced Days of Destiny. She remembered that he had been Roderick when she had been a teenager and she and her mother had listened together. The original Roderick, as she usually thought of him, was making an announcement about a show that was going to start next week called Bedside at St Brigid's. Molly began to wonder what had happened to the actress who was his Fiona. She had one of those Scot names even though she was supposed to be from Ireland. 'Now what was it?' Molly muttered to herself. 'It wasn't one of the names that begin Mac. Campbell? Stuart? Umm… Wallace! That's it – Kate Wallace. I wonder what ever happened to her?' Two weeks later she was listening to the new show about Healers just in case Ginny ever became one, when she heard Dominic Meath, Sr say, 'And introducing Kate Wallace as Pediatric Chief of Staff, Molly O'Malley.' Molly was still making tea when she heard Healer O'Toole welcome Healer O'Malley and introduce her to the whole staff. Molly recognized Fiona's voice, a bit deeper in pitch, but with the same faint Irish accent. She was so amazed that she nearly dropped the teapot. 'I was just wondering about her and now Fiona's back and playing a character named Molly!' Arthur was as surprised as she was when she told him that the original Fiona had a part in the new Healer story and was named Molly. 'Quite a coincidence, that!' he said as they were getting ready for bed. 'I think you should write and tell her how much we enjoyed listening to her when she was Fiona and you and I were at Hogwarts. I think I proposed to you right after Roderick recovered from his third bout of amnesia and asked her to marry him.' 'Oh Arthur, you remembered,' said Molly putting her arms around him and pulling him into bed. 'That was so romantic of you. What could I do but agree?' ***** The next morning, after her Walking and Talking group, Molly decided that she'd write Kate Wallace a letter telling her that she was glad to have her back on the WWN. Dear Miss Wallace, You don't know me but I am one of your oldest fans. I have listened to you since I was nine years old. My Mum and I were listening the first time you were on Days of Destiny just after your parents died. I was listening when your grandmother introduced you to Roderick. You made Fiona so real to me that I felt like she was my friend. My boyfriend and I used to listen to you at Hogwarts on Saturday. He proposed to me the same week Roderick proposed to Fiona. He even said the very same words. It was so romantic. He's my husband now and we have seven children. Yesterday I heard you on the new show about Healers and wanted to write to you and welcome you back. I hope you will be a big success on the new story. I'd really like an autographed photo. I had one a long time ago but one of my twin sons drew a moustache on it and the other one made horns and a beard. By the way, my name is the same as the character you are playing. Well, not Molly O'Malley – Molly Weasley, nee Prewett. Sincerely, Molly gave Errol a strengthening pellet and sent him off to the WWN. She wasn't sure if she'd hear back so she was quite pleased when a strange owl appeared at the window the following Wednesday. He carried a large flat letter. Molly opened it and was delighted to find a shiny picture of an older but still glamorous Kate Wallace. Her hair was not the strawberry blonde that it had been in the picture that Fred and George had embellished. As a matter of fact, it looked rather more blonde like a Muggle actress. The face was the same, older and wiser, but still Kate Wallace. Molly unfolded the letter. Dear Mrs Weasley, May I call you Molly? I feel as though I should call you by your first name, given how long you have been a fan of mine. I have been living in America, teaching and writing plays. It is very nice to come home. I hope that Bedside at St Brigid's will be as big a success as Days of Destiny was. If I understand correctly, Fiona is a grandmother on it now. Amazing how time flies! My former co-star Dominic Meath, Sr, is still working at the Network. He's a grandfather in real life. His grandson Dom is going to play Quidditch professionally and his granddaughter Sara is still at Hogwarts. I'd like to hear more about your family. Seven children must keep you busy. Your friend Fiona, Molly couldn't wait to show Arthur the picture and letter. 'Kate Wallace sounds so nice. Did you see how she signed the letter – Your friend, Fiona!' Molly was very excited. 'I think I'll confess to her that I used to try to talk like she did.' Arthur smiled. He hadn't seen Molly so invigorated since Ginny and the boys had left for Hogwarts. 'Sounds good to me, Mollywobbles.' Arthur sat down at the kitchen table. 'What are we having for dinner tonight?' Molly looked stricken. 'All we have is leftovers, unless you'd like to go into the village and buy a Piece-of. Whatever is it that the Muggles call that bread with tomato sauce and meat and cheese?' Arthur went out to his shed and got some Muggle money and they walked into the village and each enjoyed a slice of pizza. ***** The rest of the month of October seemed to fly by. The weather made it impossible for Molly to get out and walk every morning but she still did some of her fitness exercises. She resumed listening to Days of Destiny every morning and was surprised that Olivia was still trying to conceive because she thought that a surrogate mother was already carrying her baby. The plot was getting even more complicated among the Healer trainees. Declan and Siobhan had discovered that they were not brother and sister after all through some Muggle DNA test. Head Healer O'Toole did not want them to confront the woman they thought was their mother. Molly wished that the characters on the radio did not have so many problems. The morning of Molly's birthday, Hedwig delivered a lumpy package with a letter signed by all five of the Weasleys at Hogwarts. Dear Mum, Happy Birthday! You are the best mother any of us can imagine. Because of the Dementors guarding our school, we have not yet had a Hogsmeade visit so we couldn't get you any sweets. However, we are sending you some fireworks with which to celebrate your birthday or Halloween or Bonfire Night. Fireworks are not as fattening as sweets, anyway. Seriously, Mum, you are looking good. Walking and doing exercise obviously agrees with you. Love, Percy, Fred, George, Ron, and Ginny PS. Harry let us use Hedwig and he says Happy Birthday, too. Molly smiled at the letter and then muttered to herself, 'Whatever is the Ministry thinking, putting Dementors around Hogwarts? Demented Minister Fudge, that's what I think!' Molly and Arthur went out to dinner and dancing that night. Arthur said the same thing he had said every year since they had married, 'Your mum was very clever having you the day before Halloween so we could have a two-day celebration.' Molly laughed and said, 'Fabian and Gideon used to call me the Halloween Horror when they were teasing me.' 'You, my dear, will always be my early Halloween treat!'
Dom and Sara Meath are the creations of my friend Moonette, who wrote about them in her very fine story, Air, over at SugarQuill. I invented their grandfather and his back-story so he could be the companion of my Kate Wallace
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