oo1.

[feorging]

[ video || open action ]

[The faces of the passerby's to the device's lens seem to be reflecting a range from distinct lack of interest to mild amusement to extreme confusion. They also appear to be shielding their heads from something, but from the device's position, it isn't quite clear whatThat is, until the throng clears enough for the device

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voice; .....are you tagging from your phone

[7thborn]

[Despite it all, despite this blatant reminder of what she's missing at home, Fred does manage to elicit a reluctant snort of laughter from his sister. What else can she do but laugh when he's so clearly trying to make it happen? But even so, it does little to ease the knot in her chest, mostly because she doesn't know how to take this at all. Ginny is thrilled to see family here, even more so that it's the brother she needs the most borrowed time with, and on her birthday, at that!

... but he's... No. No, what if the City saw fit to be even kinder to her today? What if it not only brought her brother but it brought him back from before his death? That could happen, couldn't it? He hasn't said anything to prove otherwise. "Died and gone to heaven," that could be joke. Please let it be a joke.

It is her birthday.]

I never said it wasn't true, Freddie. But I reckon you should be paying me a few compliments as well, seeing as it's my birthday. [There, Fred, that warmth creeping into her voice could almost be a smile.] Tell me where you are so I can head over and hear it in person.

voice; ..... 8( yes?

[feorging]

[That? Is the sound of sweet victory. This is a winning grin. He hasn't the foggiest what's going on here or how any of it's possible, but Ginny laughed for him, half-hearted though it may have been. Yes, he'll be counting that as a victory, seeing as he shouldn't ever be able to hear such music again.

But that winning grin that falters into confusion at her request, and he has to catch himself before he sounds entirely incredulous. He doesn't want to break that almost-smile now he's fought so hard for it. But still.]

Birthday? Come off it, it can't be. It's only the second of May.

[Unless Heaven is really Perpetually Ginny's Birthday. He hasn't quite enough gold for that. Do they even take Galleons in the afterlife? Bloody Hell.]

Ah, but no matter. Come round to the fountain, I've got just the thing.

voice; 1/2

[7thborn]

The second of... May.

[No. No, it's not fair. She hasn't lived the day but its etched in her mind all the same, the conversations she's had with Harry, Remus, and her own brothers about the future were never forgotten. She's had time to process this so why does it hurt just as much as it did the day she learned it all?]

voice; .....sob omg YOU <333

[7thborn]

[Focus, now. Focus. Don't let him know you know. Pull yourself together, Weasley. Ginny sucks in an inaudible breath, holds it until she stops feeling like she's going to throw up or cry or both, and then she's hurrying to pull on her shoes, communicator close at hand.]

You come off it. Would I ever lie to you? My most favourite brother? [Lie in of itself. She loves them all.] It's the eleventh of August, and I hope you're sitting down because I've got loads to explain to you. I'll be there in a minute.

[And, before she can smooth the edges to her voice, she adds a soft plea.]

Stay right where you are, alright?

voice; iyaaah <3333

[feorging]

Don't forget: devilishly handsome.

[It's a simple enough request, 'don't move so I can find you,' but that tone in her voice has him a touch wary. He sighs a highly comical sigh, the exaggeration clear even without a spoken word.]

Not an inch from the spot, dear sister. Though I hope this "loads to explain" is more interesting than old Binnsy's "loads to explain." I'm keen on reaching an understanding at some point in this lifetime.

[Though his lifetime's technically done with, so does that make his afterlifetime? Not a joke for little sisters, decidedly.]

he's there for you when he shouldn't be but he stays all the same;

[7thborn]

[That earns him another half-laugh, soft and brief and barely swallowed back.]

How dare you compare me to Binns, and on a day like today. Your chances of me calling you handsome at all are lowering, knobhead.

[Ginny's voice takes on an affectionate cast usually kept quiet around her brothers, if only because it's an unspoken understanding among the Weasley siblings that they care for each other. No need to get soppy when there's mud to wrestle in and brooms to fly, right? But she can't help it. She hasn't even seen Fred and she's already trying to take advantage of every extra minute she's been given. So the youngest - perhaps not the youngest anymore - Weasley shuts off her device, stuffs it into the pocket of her shorts, grabs her wand and races out of the apartment until she's clear of its protective wards.

Once in the corridor, she Apparates to the fountain, reappearing on the opposite side of the thing from her brother with a sharp crack. Ginny doesn't even wait for the dizziness to fade before she leaps onto the lip of the fountain to search out of the area for a flash of Weasley red hair and... there. Oh, Merlin, it's him. Her heart leaps into her throat and she forces her voice past it to shout out,]

FRED!

he's there for you when he shouldn't be but he stays all the same;

[feorging]

Blimey. She fights dirty, this one.

[And you can have that affection right back, with an ounce of pride to go with it. Regardless of whatever brought them here, death or some sort of time-lapse in reality that brings us to the magical day of Thursday; Ginny's still Ginny. A sharp tongue and endless wit, just the way a Weasley is meant to be. Oh yes, there is most certainly pride in his little sister. It's the sort of thing that knows no bounds and has him waiting patiently at the fountainside, despite his inquisitive nature urging him to figure out what makes this place tick.

No, really. The ticking is bloody annoying; he's dead set on finding the source and giving it a firm piece of his rather destructive mind. But as it is apparently Ginny's birthday, Fred's being a good boy and waiting as told. That is, until he hears the distinct sound of Apparition and he's on his feet in a heartbeat, looking around and --

Ah. She really is older. Forget about the impossibility of it all; there's something painful in the thought that he missed his little sister growing up. But gods, she's beautiful and no longer the family baby but a woman and how in the Hell did that happen? Is this what he'll be missing back home, now he's died and gone off to...somewhere? His smile starts as a bittersweet one, but he swallows it down into a wide grin and pockets his device before heading over through the water, because he'll be damned if he has to actually walk around to greet her.]

Have we forgotten I'm the one with both ears?

he's there for you when he shouldn't be but he stays all the same;

[7thborn]

[She's already running to him, and for the first time in all her years in the City, she jumps into the fountain to get there faster, ignoring the bewildered stares of the passersby. Her hair is quite a bit longer, her height isn't that much taller at all (Merlin knows she stopped growing at fourteen), but she's most certainly older. Something about the eyes, the way she carries herself, because she hasn't lived the rest of their war yet but other things have robbed her of that childish innocence all the same - but that conversation is for another time. This time is for explanations of why she's three years too old, why they're in a strange city, why she knows how to Appparate when she can barely do it in their world, why Fred is alive when he should be...

Don't think about it. Be there for your brother, Ginny. He might need you just as much as you certainly need him.

But there's no mistaking this is Fred Weasley just as much as this is his sister. It's still Ginny Weasley, all fire and snap, and her freckled face is wearing the brightest and most heartbreaking smile possible, her earlier grief forgotten in light of being reunited with family. The over-brightness in her eyes could be attributed to a trick of the light, because there's no way in hell she's admitting that she feels like crying.]

Fred. [Her voice nearly cracks with too much emotion.] Fred, I can't believe it, it's really-!

[If she tackles him into the fountain with the force of her hug, it's not her fault.]

he's there for you when he shouldn't be but he stays all the same;

[feorging]

Oi!

[Is all he gets off before into the fountain they go! In all honesty, he isn't like to complain, not considering the day's events, and part of him is brought back to simpler times when their biggest worries were getting Ginny through a nightmare at two in the morning. Strange, to be brought back to their childhood when she has so very clearly left it behind, but then age has never really had much to do with the Weasley mentality, now, has it?

At least, it didn't up until the war began. Fred had watched his sister mature rather too soon, having faced You-Know-Who herself early on and becoming one of the star pupils to emerge from Dumbledore's Army. If he's ever felt Ginny's sudden adulthood to be a failure of their own, he hasn't voiced it to anyone. But this, this...bloody impossible reunion seems to wipe that thought clear from his mind, as this little ball of energy and affection is so very clearly his baby sister. Forget the war, forget his death. This is so much more meaningful and significant and the embodiment everything Fred holds sacred.

His family's still his family, despite trials and tribulations and three years of trans-dimensional time warping. What more could he honestly ask for?]

Not that I've any qualms with being bowled over upon sight, but some fair warning next time would be much obliged, little sister.

[Lies, all lies. He loves it. In fact, if one were to look closely, they might even notice that Fred's holding her rather tightly in return, determined to preserve this raw moment for just as long as pride permits.]

he's there for you when he shouldn't be but he stays all the same;

[7thborn]

[Ginny finds herself being immensely grateful for the fountain water and how she's absolutely drenched in it from head to toe; if she starts crying, it'll be virtually invisible (unless she starts turning blotchy and she'd never let herself get that far gone when her brother can see it). There's a tightness in her chest and throat, the way her heart is beating too fast as if to make up for the fact that she can't feel his at all. She can't feel his heartbeat at all. Kneeling in the water and clinging tight to Fred like the City will pull him away from her too soon, just like the war did, Ginny is utterly at a loss for words. How can she begin to explain any of this when all she wants to do is sit here and make sure she's got her brother back? Her hands are curled into the back of his clothes, her face is buried in his shoulder, and she is trying so hard to hold herself together but she can feel herself trembling too.

She is doing such a shite job of pretending everything is okay.]

Shut up. [The words are choked out in a whisper and a laugh, and she finally pulls back to look at him, hands on his shoulders and blinking the water - it's just water - out of her eyes.] Merlin, Fred. It's so good to see you. I've missed you so bloody much, you can't imagine how long it's been since I...

[She drags in a breath, shaking her head, and she throws her arms around him again in another hug. Don't be concerned at this explosive display of affection, Fred Weasley, because nothing is wrong. Nothing is wrong at all. This is more than she could have wished for, on her birthday no less, so let's not focus on why this is so painfully impossible because this is a happy occasion. It is.]

he's there for you when he shouldn't be but he stays all the same;

[feorging]

[Fred's overly aware of the thrumming of her heart and the slight shakling of her frame, as though someone's holding an enormous sign flashing 'something is wrong' in vibrant lettering despite the fervent denial of such. But doesn't that just go without saying? Plenty of things are wrong, with the world as a whole and this sticky situation they've got themselves neck deep in. But at least now he's one hundred percent certain Ginny's alive and...well, not well, as far as he can see - but alive and in one piece, more or less. He can be grateful at that, in the very least, else there would've been less grinning in spite of her bleary state and more gunning for answers.

But there's no time for words, apparently, only clinging bordering on the desperate. He doesn't know how long it's been, and he can't begin to guess how this is even possible, let alone what she's had to endure in the time he's missed. Though if the tight hugs are anything to go by, he has a very vague idea, and that comes as no reassurance whatsoever.

Regardless, Fred will let her stay just like this as long as she so pleases. He keeps his arms wrapped tight about her, his left hand coming up to the back of her head and keep her close as the right snakes out his wand. With a silent flick, the water starts to pull away from them and reform as his monster from earlier, the tendrils wrapping about them in a bone drenching hug. Congratulations, Ginny. You can officially say you've been hugged by an aquatic apparition.]

Happy birthday, Gin.

he's there for you when he shouldn't be but he stays all the same;

[7thborn]

[Pull yourself together, Ginny. Pull yourself together now. She never hugs anyone like this, not this tightly for so long, not unless there's an underlying fear and desperation born out of less-than-wonderful reasons, not unless you think this isn't real or that something will end it before you're ready to let go again. Her brothers know her better than anyone in the world, and she has always been close to the twins - she knows Fred has rarely seen her in this state. Truth be told, no one really has. So Ginny sucks in another breath, squeezes her eyes shut, and tries to gather herself before the cracks show any more than they already are.

It really is a testament to Gryffindor willpower when Ginny finds it in herself to laugh, loud and bright, when Fred's latest invention envelops her in a waterfall. She pulls back from her brother far enough to smack his shoulder indignantly, but that familiar Weasley twinkle is back in her eyes - though something else is flickering behind it, ignore it, it's being buried as we speak - and she's beaming at him. See how she's alright, Freddie? She's perfectly fine. There will be time to dwell later.]

Oi, just when I thought I was starting to dry off! [She tips her head back to look up at the watery creature, pleased and impressed and proud. Only her brothers would be so brilliant, and maybe she's biased, but she doesn't care at all.] Thanks, Fred. Can't say I've ever been hugged by a water troll before.

[And she looks back to him, smile and voice taking on a far more sincere and heartfelt tone.]

I reckon this is the best birthday I've had in a long while.

[She isn't talking about the fountain creature.]

he's there for you when he shouldn't be but he stays all the same;

[feorging]

['Perfectly fine' is believable for now, in lieu of her much needed laughter. Fred does not like seeing his siblings upset, but he can't quite go about making a mockery of whatever's doing the upsetting if he doesn't know what it is. He wants to know, might even need to because nothing should ever have her in such rare form, but that isn't the first step to recovery. If she's got it in her to laugh at a silly prank, then it can't be too terrible, right? Right?

No matter. Fred's all grins and laughter anyway, letting his newfound friend sway precariously to the side as he props himself up on his elbows. Even if the water monster hadn't been in the fountain with them, he'd've assumed she meant him, if only because everything is about him, naturally.]

'course it is! D'you have any idea how much trouble I went through to be here for this? Trans-dimensional time travel's no easy feat, I'll have you know.

[Because clearly he came here just for her. Even though he didn't actually come here. There can just be no other reasoning. Family sticks together, so he reaches up to pinch her cheek playfully and let her know he is here. Regardless of everything that's happened in between, he's here now, and as far as he's concerned, that's the only thing that matters.]

he's there for you when he shouldn't be but he stays all the same;

[7thborn]

This is you we're talking about. I'd say it was a fair amount of trouble and well worth it, too.

[Ginny is shaking her head, a fond grin tugging at her lips, and she finally hauls herself up to her feet, dripping fountain water everywhere. She pushes her sopping wet hair out of her eyes and extends a hand to her brother, jerking her head back to the pavement, suddenly all business. After all, if she focuses on the simple and important tasks like settling him in, informing him of the City, explaining her situation (and hopefully being composed enough to explain his), she'll manage to be alright. No tears, no desperation, no panic. Just alright.]

Come on, then. Wizard or not, you can't wear those clothes and I know a place that has just your size. [The old cabin in the forest has a closet full of the twins' clothes. Merlin, that's weird.] And I promise I'll answer any questions you've got, too.

he's there for you when he shouldn't be but he stays all the same;

[feorging]

[That's a bit more like Ginny, taking care of business but not without sparing a moment to make a jab at him, and it's a damn welcome sight. He takes hold of her hand and pulls himself to his feet as the monster crashes back to the bottom of the fountain. Making a mental note to finish work on a treat to dry soaked clothes without threatening to melt the lining of your stomach, Fred shakes as much of water out of his hair as he can, not entirely unlike a dog. Grins abound, little sister, and he tucks his wand back in his pocket.]

Excellent. First things first, then. When the bloody Hell did you become so damned gorgeous? I'm not going to have to interrogate any extraterrestrial boy-toys, am I?

[Arms crossed and eyebrows wagging up and down teasingly, it's rather difficult to know if he's serious or not. Or rather, it would be if Ginny wasn't a Weasley and close enough to him to know better. Obviously this is the most pressing matter after being teleported to a strange new realm and being nearly hugged to death.]

he's there for you when he shouldn't be but he stays all the same;

[7thborn]

Oh, for Merlin's sake.

[She snorts, wading through the water and clambering over the lip of the fountain before wringing out her vivid mane of hair. She's forming a decent puddle on the street but funnily enough, people aren't really giving them a second glance - mostly because people landing in the fountain seem to be a common occurrence in the City.]

I'm not dating anyone, if that's what you're so afraid of. [And Ginny arches an eyebrow at him, drawing her wand - to dry herself, naturally, but it might look like she's considering hexing her brother for his comment, too.] And I thought I've always been gorgeous, thank you very much. What a thing to say to your favourite sister.

[Fact is, she doesn't know how he's going to react when she tells him she's three years older than he remembers. To be honest, she's a little worried about it. She knows she was fairly distressed by arriving here a couple years back and finding Ron older than he was meant to be. He'd only been here two years... and, Merlin, it looked like she was going to be here for three if her bad luck held out. But she might like to stay a bit longer now that she can have extra time with her brother.]