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

Comments

voice; 1/idk

[7thborn]

What the bloody hell is the fountain-is that a person?

[... wait. Oh, Merlin, wait a sodding minute. That hair, that voice... It can't be. The City's playing tricks again, it's a visitor's day, it's got to be, because this can't be a Weasley.]

voice; 2/3

[7thborn]

[But it can, she'd recognise that hair anywhere. And that voice. That's got to be one of her brothers. But which-?]

Georgie. He said Georgie, which means-

voice; 3/3 AAHHH

[7thborn]

[Do you recognise this voice, Fred? It might sound a bit older than you remember. But whoever's on the other end of this conversation has suddenly gone very, very quiet. She might have stopped breathing, too, just for a few seconds. And then, with a touch of hesitance - ]

... Fred Weasley?

[Now a little more earnestly,]

Is this Fred Weasley?

voice; 1/3

[feorging]

[A few years older or no, blood recognizes blood and the instance that wary voice comes through the Muggle box, Fred stops everything (soaking himself yet again) and sets down in front of it. Hesitating for a second, not even sure how this all works, he opens his mouth to say something but then-]

voice; 2/3

[feorging]

[-but then it can't be Ginny. This is the afterlife, in'nit? Some strange sort of futuristic Purgatory or some such, right? Sure, there are no pearly white fences, but it can't be her because she didn't, she hasn't--]

voice; 3/3 SCREAM ALL THE EXCITEMENT AHHH

[feorging]

[No hint of that hesitance and uncertainty can be found in his voice though, or even his face, even if it can't be seen at the moment. Years of experience covering this up, see? He's all grins and excitement, because even if she is some sort of figment of his idea of Heaven, how could he not be excited to hear from his favorite little sister?]

The one and only, love. Loyal fanbase from the get-go, and a gorgeous one from the sounds of it.

[His voice redirects itself to just above the device as he calls out to...no one.]

Quick, someone pinch me! I think I've died and gone to Heaven!

voice; FOREVER EXCITED

[7thborn]

[Died and gone to... That's not funny. Her first instinct is to tell him that isn't funny at all because the last time he was here, well and truly here, he'd joked about it and she'd been so upset she slapped him the moment he walked through the door. And while Ginny's had nothing but time to accept her brother's fate, it's still hard to confront it like this - especially since he was still alive the last time she saw him at home.

Breathe. Breathe, Ginny. But it's no good, her hands are shaking and she's pressing them to her face before she manages to reply; and even then, the breeziness in her voice lacks that certain Weasley brightness.]

I think someone ought to pinch me. You shouldn't be here, you git. Go back home or Mum'll be furious with us both.

voice; I just drove to the dentist and missed a stop cuz I was so excited for this ;;

[feorging]

[It is too funny, you stick in the mud. Where is the laughter? He's fairly certain some laughing ought to be in order here. But no, there's an ounce of strain in that voice and doesn't that just make him a tad worried. She can't really be-? He imitates her voice as it should be, bright and perky.]

'Oi, good to hear from you, big brother!' [Back to his own voice, the hint of a smile laced underneath.] Dashing to hear from you as well, little sister. 'You're so brilliant and devilishly handsome and most certainly not a git, big brother!' Ah, you flatter me, little sister. It's too true, too true.

[He could go all day here, Gin. Can't get rid of him that easily.]

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

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

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

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