RP: It’s Possible I’m Completely Barmy

[shh_greg]

Date: 28 June 2005
Character(s): Greg Goyle, Anyone
Location: The river near the Shelter
Status: Public
Summary: After his conversation with Mandy, Greg checks out the state of the river.
Completion: InComplete

Comments

[shh_greg]

Greg chuckled. "Yeah, I know. How are the twins anyway?" he said dryly then he shrugged. "Well, it has been public land and people are used to walking along there. But yeah, I'll speak to someone from the Ministry though it'l probably be pretty obvious why they're warded off. We're planning on using the pond and maybe the river for enclosures for kelpies and hippocampus." He paused for a moment then ran a hand through his hair. "Actually I must get up to Loch Ness at some point and see if Nessie's still around. I'm sure she is... she's lasted through a lot worse than this latest war."

"Darn and none taken," he said mildly. He liked talking with Ginny; she didn't make him feel like an idiot and she didn't trigger the stammering that usually marked any social interaction with women. He briefly wondered why but eventually decided to leave it alone unless he ruined it. "Though how am I supposed to figure it out if nobody will help me?"

He grimaced. "Who knows? Maybe it does and we just haven't met the right people. Or maybe you really do have to work at it. I wouldn't know. My parents' marriage was an arranged one... because there's no way in hell my mother would have married my father by choice." There was a hint of bitterness in his voice at that but he moved on quickly, not wanting to dwell on it. "I've never really dated much. Most women aren't that thrilled when I choose to spend a night looking after a sick animal instead of going out with them. Tends to end things fairly quickly. Maybe I'm just going out with the wrong women. Mind you, I can never figure out when they're actually interested. I never see it coming. Used to amuse the hell out of the other apprentices."

He paused and chuckled ruefully. "There was this one girl... I didn't know she was interested until she sat down in my lap and kissed me. She told me later that it was either do that or hit me over the head with a frying pan and she thought what she did was a lot more fun." He grinned. "She was right."

He gave a sad smile at the mention of Shadow. "Yes, she is." He shook the mood away. "But we have plenty of cats. Too many really. Cats breed entirely too well when they're left to their own devices. I've desexed most of the ones who have come into the shelter and I'll do the rest when they're old enough."

[shh_ginny]

"The twins are fine. They own an apothecary in town, in fact." Ginny answered evenly. She liked the tall, ex-Slytherin well enough and found him easy to talk to but nobody took the mickey out of her brothers except her. "Loch Ness? I was up to Loch Coruisk not too long ago, class work when I was studying at the Academy... the Dusseldorf Academy, that is."

"Darn?" She laughed. "I think most women just want a bloke to be straight with her. I mean, we all figure it's mainly getting in our knickers which isn't a bad thing but I know I could do without the games. Most folks know what they want in life, so really putting on like you want more when you don't, that's off-putting."

"My folks were made for each other. They both wanted the same things, a big family, didn't care about money or status, just wanted a lot of love and laughter." She stopped when her voice caught, blinking as she turned her head away from him. After a moment, Ginny continued. "I hear you there. The last bloke I was seeing, well, I stopped it because he couldn't deal with my being at the hospital so much, didn't like the time I spent on research, didn't want to have anything to do with that part of my life and my work is my life. If a bloke isn't comfortable spending time reading with me, it's not going to work. What's wrong with just having a quiet night at home, researching, you know?"

"If you can figure out if they are interested, you could just ask, you know. It's not the end of the world if you don't leave things to chance." Ginny shrugged. "Cats are pretty independant, aren't they?"

[shh_greg]

"Really?" Greg said with surprise then he continued hurriedly. "Not that I don't think they'd be more than capable but they were so good at the joke stuff. Huh, you know... I think I'll actually miss all that. They were really good at it." He laughed. "Even if I did tend to fall for the Canary Creams a bit too much. I've got a bit of a sweet tooth and I didn't always look too carefully before grabbing when I was a kid."

He gave her a curious look as she spoke about people putting on a show. It sounded like there might be a story there but he wasn't going to push. If she wanted to tell, she would. If she didn't, well, that was fine too.

He couldn't help but feel a bit envious as she spoke about her parents. He wasn't sure his parents had even liked each other, let alone loved; they certainly hadn't liked being in the same room with each other. Not that he was overly surprised. His mother had been a funny, vivacious, intelligent woman and his father had been a stupid, violent thug with delusions of grandeur. Not exactly a match made in heaven.

"You were lucky," he said a little wistfully. He was silent for a moment then shook the mood away. Dwelling on it didn't help.

"I think you're preaching to the dedicated," Greg said with a grin. "I occasionally go out to the pub for a drink or two after work but even then, that drink is rarely alcoholic and I don't stay late. I'm the only vet in town so I'm pretty much on call twenty-four seven. And if you've done any obstetrics work, you'll already know this... but babies like coming at the most ridiculous hours of the night. There's nothing quite like being called out at 2am to a freezing, windswept hillside to kneel in the rain and mud to help a sheep or a cow give birth while the farmer watches impassively to see whether you're going to screw up or not."

He snorted. "The last girl I dated for any length of time used to hate it when I came back in on nights like that. I wasn't interested in doing anything other than going back to bed but she'd get pissy at me for having cold feet and hands." He gave Ginny a droll look. "Needless to say, that one didn't last long."

He shrugged diffidently. "I used to ask. But I was usually wrong and a bloke can only take being shot down so many times."

He grinned and nodded. "Cats kind of embody the term independent. But once they decide that you belong to them, they can be incredibly loyal. Most people don't expect that."

[shh_ginny]

"Oh, I've coughed up my fair share of yellow feathers." Ginny smirked wryly. "There was never a dull moment at the Burrow. Heck, I thought Hogwarts was creepy because it could get so quiet." She gave him a long look when he said she had been lucky but said nothing more about it.

"Or being on call for 48 hours and trying to deliver a baby whilst being chastised for not being married and having children of my own by a witch screaming this information out on the top of her lungs every single bloody contraction. Or the bloke who thinks I'm a mediwitch because 'I'm too cute to be a Healer' and uses the opportunity when I'm bent over their broken leg to pinch me arse!" Ginny laughed, feeling an odd sense of exhilaration at having someone actually understand.

They were approaching a building now and Ginny thought she heard barking but Greg made her laugh and she rolled her eyes. "The last bloke I dated, one of your buddies, in fact, used to hate that I came home late and thought it was a game that I needed to study. He thought it was amusing to try to 'distract' me."

"Pity." Ginny smiled softly as he stopped in front of the door and bent to pull his boots on. "Are they okay being alone or do they need company? I heard dogs don't get on well alone all day and someone told me it was better to have two. Is that the same for cats?"

[shh_greg]

Greg snorted with amusement. "At least you've got half a chance of being thanked. The last time I helped a cow having trouble calving, she kicked me in the thigh for my troubles. I got a nice hoof-shaped bruise out of it." He stopped and gave Ginny a wicked grin. "Mind you, it was a very cold day and my hands were freezing and... well, I'm sure you know where I had to stick one of them to help with calving. Maybe she was making a protest about that."

He snorted. "That bloke's talking a load of rubbish. I've known mediwitches who I'd trust a damn site more than a Healer. There were a couple of Healers near Ruonovaara that I wouldn't have gone to if you'd paid me. Hell, I dare anyone to say that Madam Pomfrey wasn't bloody capable... and kind of scary at times." He shook his head. "It's like the people who look down at me because I'm 'just a vet'. As if animals aren't worth looking after just as much as people."

He smiled ruefully. "Sorry. That's a bit of a hobby horse for me. I mean, I'm not saying that in a disaster I'd put the welfare of animals in front of the safety of people, it's just that people can usually take care of themselves, animals often can't."

They got to the shelter building and Greg paused to pull on his boots. He'd need them on inside.

"One of my buddies?" he said dubiously. "I can honestly say that I didn't really have 'friends' as such at school. Even Vincent and Draco weren't what I'd call friends. I hung out with them, I did what Draco told me to do and that gained me a certain amount of... protection, I guess." He shrugged. "But whoever he was, I think he was an arse not to take your job seriously."

He blinked and gave Ginny a confused and slightly uncertain look. What did she mean by that? A pity that he'd stopped asking? Or a pity that he tended to get shot down, often rather spectacularly? After all, nothing said fun like being humiliated in front of a pub full of friends and strangers. It was quite an achievement making a bloke his size feel two inches tall but more than one woman had achieved it.

He took a deep breath and got on with something he understood. "It depends on the cat really. Some are quite sociable and would do better having a friend but others are quite happy being on their own. Cats can be a little like humans in that way. But even the most aloof of cats will usually deign to accept another cat in their domain."

[shh_ginny]

Ginny gave him a look of horror when she made the connection between his cold hands and where they were, glancing down at his hands and noticing then how big they were as well. "I bloody hell would! Poor cow."

"He was so busy trying to feel me up, I was surprised he even knew the difference so it wasn't that big a deal to me. Some of the people I'm closest too in the hospital are mediwitches." She shrugged, looking up at him with a small frown. "That's a load of cock. Vet's go through nearly as much schooling and residency as a Healer. Don't be sorry, mate. We all have triggers. I think I could write a book about being 'the little Weasley girl'."

"Buddies as in your house. He was a Slytherin as well and not an arse at all, just someone without direction and enough money not to need one so he couldn't understand." Ginny allowed, being more honest with herself about Adrian in that moment than she had in the entire time she'd been friends with him.

Pushing the door open, she saw the look of confusion on his face and grinned. ""Pity about the asking. Oh, good, I don't want to start out out-numbered in my own home. Merlin!" Ginny blinked at the volume of noise and then immediately laughed, stepping further into the shelter. "I love it! It's like being home again - all this chatter."

[shh_greg]

Greg laughed then he raised an eyebrow. "Actually I always thought that any girl who knew how to cope with six older brothers would be more than a match for me. I'm an only child after all."

"Ah," he said in understanding. "Well, that probably describes a lot of Slytherins. A lot come from wealthy pureblood families and 'work' isn't something they're expected to do. I guess I could have ended up like that under different circumstances." He shrugged. "But I like working. Then again, I also have a job I love so that helps."

He actually had no idea what his legal standing was regarding the family house and money and he hadn't decided whether he really wanted to know; it was all tainted by his father in his eyes. But then again... he could use the money for the clinic.

Greg smiled a little uncertainly. Did that mean she wouldn't object if he asked her out? He pushed that thought aside to think about later as they walked into the shelter and were assailed by the noise.

He grinned. "I'm so used to it these days I hardly register it. It's mostly the smaller animals I think. Every now and then one of the big dogs must get annoyed and I'll hear three or four big deep barks and the whole place will go quiet for a little while. Doesn't last long though."

He led her over to where the cat enclosures were located, bypassing the kittens. "You'll probably want a cat rather than a kitten," he said in explanation. "Unless you don't mind coming home to find your things artfully shredded in a fit of kitten glee."

They came to the enclosure with the older cats and Greg opened the door, gesturing for Ginny to enter. "It's best to go in and see which ones like you and want to go home with you."

[shh_ginny]

Ginny chuckled. "You don't... You don't understand. I work with Incurables all day, day in and day out. Some days the only sound is me talking to myself. Merlin! And here I thought the Five Alarm was noisy."

They passed the kittens and Ginny couldn't help but look them over serendipitously as several were playing together and even she had to admit they were sinfully adorable. Through the mental fog of 'ahhh, how cute' sliced the artfully placed words of 'shredded' and 'kitten glee', sobering Ginny up in a heartbeat. She didn't have a stitch of new furniture but she had a pair of boots she was very fond of and stacks of research books - most of which were borrowed and she couldn't afford to replace them.

"Cat. Yes. A cat would be good - the more glee-lacking the better." She hesitated when he opened the door for her, the shadow playing along the interior of the enclosure drew a light shiver but then she stepped inside and looked around. He hadn't been kidding about the number of cats, there were all kinds either sleeping or eating or grooming themselves or each other. Some of them stopped what they were doing to look at her for a minute before going back to their business and Ginny looked back at Greg for a second before moving further into the enclosure. A soft tap on her shoulder made her jump in surprise, turning to see a lean, black cat lying on a perch watching her.

"Oi! Scared me half to death there, mate. Well, let's see you then, if you are going to make a fuss and all." She said softly, reaching out cautiously to give the cat a pat. It sniffed her hand, watching her closely for a second before nudging her hand with its nose. "Oh, is it going to be like that, then? All right, I'll pet you but don't be getting any idea, you hear? It's not like I'm going to just tell you all about the big sunbeams in my house or all the empty window ledges. Nope, not me. You'll have to drag that outta me." The cat was purring rather loudly and stood when she began moving her hand away, reaching out with its paw to tap her hand again. Ginny laughed and moved closer to see what it'd do and the lean animal leapt to her shoulder. "Well, you are something else. Let's see what Mr. Greg has to say about you, yeah?" She turned toward the door and chuckled. "What do you say, Mr. Greg? Anything I should know about this troublemaker?"

[shh_greg]

Greg watched with a small smile on face as Ginny walked into the enclosure. He nodded encouragingly to her when she looked back at him then had to stifle a laugh when the black cat reached out and patted her on the shoulder.

His smile grew as he watched her pet and talk to the cat. He did laugh when the cat jumped onto her shoulder then smiled broadly when she turned to him.

"I say that I think you've been chosen," he said as he walked over.

He held a hand out to the cat, scratching it behind the ears when it accepted his touch then gently picking it up off Ginny's shoulder. It gave him a jaundiced look but submitted to his attentions as he checked the cat over briefly.

"This young man is nice and healthy," he said, placing the cat back on its chosen perch. "He's already been desexed so you don't need to worry about that. He's had all of his immunisations and from the look on his face right now, I definitely think you now belong to him."

[shh_ginny]

Ginny blushed lightly as Greg walked over, conscious of his height and the warmth in his voice as she waited for him to pronounce judgement on the feline who seemed a little disgruntled that her shoulders weren't wider.

"Is he... a familiar, do you think? Seems a bit bright, if not a little pushy." The cat settled back onto her shoulders and Ginny glanced up at Greg as the feline rubbed its head against her ear, making her laugh. "Are there any papers I need to fill out before I get back to work? Is there a fee or something?" She walked out of the enclosure and waited for him to follow.

[shh_greg]

"He could be," Greg said, following Ginny out of the enclosure, making a deft movement with one foot to stop one of their serial escape artists from getting out. "But it's often hard to tell with cats. They can be pushy by nature, especially when they decided that you're their human."

He grinned at both the cat's antics and Ginny's laugh.

"There's a bit of paperwork," he said. "Basically just a few things, letting you know that he's been neutered and immunized and so on. Stuff for our records so that we know where he's gone. And the fee... well, the fee is variable. I'm just pleased to get the animals into good homes and I know that the financial situation isn't great these days. So we do either a monetary fee if people can afford it or we accept donations of food, blankets or other useful things for the animals."

He led her back into the clinic and ducked behind the desk there. He opened the filing cabinet and found the listing of the cats they had and the paperwork that would need to be done and brought it back out.

"So what are you going to call him?" he asked as he sorted out what Ginny would need to fill out and sign.

[shh_ginny]

Ginny noted his deft movement despite his size and caught herself looking just a little too long, smiling innocently up at him as he turned back to her. "It'll take a little getting used to, the whole being owned thing."

"A fee is fine, Greg. I get paid enough not to worry about the cost of a cat or I'd not have thought of getting one. No sense in that, is there?" She dug into the back pocket of her jeans and pulled out a handful of coins, flipping them over to check the currency before setting down five galleons. "I'll stop by Familiar Ground after work to pick up the 'cat essentials'. The witch who works there joins me for tea at lunch sometimes… Domi… Dominique! That's it."

Sitting on the corner of the desk, Ginny chuckled when the cat planted both paws on her head and looked over to what Greg was doing. "Call him? Why, I hadn't thought of that. I guess 'Cat' is pretty mundane, yeah. Let's see… a name… a name… Hmm, I'll have to think about that."

[shh_greg]

"Thank you," Greg said, taking the money and putting it in the lockbox in the bottom drawer. "A lot of people work on barter these days so we work it both ways."

He chuckled. "It can take some time to get the personality of your cat. Though I did have a friend in Finland who named her new cat inadvertently. He was getting up to mischief and she just turned and yelled 'Stop it, Cedric!' at him. And so he was named." He grinned. "She always blamed me for his name. I'd been telling her about the Triwizard Tournament so I guess he could just as easily have been named Harry or Viktor all things considered."

He filled out the forms with the needed details then signed them himself to confirm that the cat had been desexed, immunised and was in good health. He then turned the papers around and offered the quill to Ginny. "Just sign here and here and you have a new cat," he said, pointing to the appropriate places. "Do you want a carrier to take him home or is he happy enough where he is?"

[shh_ginny]

"Yeah, we get a lot of barters at the hospital. I expect that'll change if the goblins ever get something set up again but I've gotten used to it, although, I do still see some odd ones when I wander down to reception." She smirked. "Cedric? That must be one lucky cat. All things considered, it's a good name."

Taking the offered quill, Ginny signed where he pointed and, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, handed the quill back. Lifting the cat down from her shoulder, she held it up to her eye level and said. "Do you want to be caged up like a criminal or will you behave and not run off? You are too big for my pocket so those are your only options." The cat regarded her with what she could swear was an arched eyebrow before it gave a soft 'meow'. "That'd better be cat for 'I'll tow the line', mister." Ginny laughed, letting the cat scramble back up to her shoulder. "I'm pretty quick with a stunner if he decides to make a break for it so I'll forgo the carrier."

Holding her hand out to him, she smiled. "Thank you for your help. I've got to get back to work but umm, don't be a stranger."

[shh_greg]

Greg took the quill back then separated the papers into those for Ginny and those for the clinic. He watched with a grin as she spoke with her new cat.

"He must have been taking lessons from Shadow," he said. "She prefers to sit on my shoulder. And here is your copy of his papers."

"Not a problem," he said, shaking her hand. "I won't."