Chapter One: Taking Flight

Disclaimer: I own nothing. I just enjoy playing with other peoples toys. Thank you JKR for sharing.

Ginny sat alone at her small kitchen table staring out the window at glittering lights of the bar below her reflected on the bay. The microwave dinner sitting in front of her was getting cold and congealing but Ginny was lost in her own thoughts. Who would have guessed that Ginny Weasley would wind up here, half a world away from the Burrow, her family, and Harry. She had to admit though that she was happy with herself. Yes, happy and quite proud of her quick adjustment to the muggle world, an American muggle world actually.

It had been over two years since she packed her trunk and caught a Portkey to the United States. She remembered that day with painful clarity. It was the day after she had completed her schooling at Hogwarts and she was back at the Burrow.

"Molly, Ginny in here quickly." Arthur had called to his wife and daughter.

"Arthur what is the matter?" Asked Molly with concern as she joined her husband in the kitchen quickly followed by Ginny.

"There has been an attack," he began out of breath.

"An attack? How? Who did it Arthur?" Molly interrupted.

"We have known that there were still a few rogue Death Eaters on the loose since the war. Today a few of them attacked . . . they attacked," Arthur couldn't seem to get the words out.

"Harry," Ginny murmured.

"Yes," Arthur managed as Molly burst into tears.

"What happened Arthur?" Molly asked as her voice shook with her sobs.

"There were three of them. They came out of nowhere. Harry. Harry was just was headed towards his flat in muggle London. They Apparated into the middle of the street and started attacking everyone in sight. They killed six muggles and Harry. He's gone. Just gone. There was nothing left but his wand and one of his trainers lying there," Arthur finished with difficulty.

Arthur put his arm around Molly, comforting his crying wife as tears began to stream down his aging cheeks. Ginny on the other hand stood stonily beside them unable to react to the situation. Her mind seemed to have turned off at the news she had just heard. She stood there watching her Mum and Dad holding each other. To them it had been like losing a son. To her it was like losing her heart.

It was then that the buzzing inside her head began. She heard Harry's voice saw Harry's face. Suddenly, as though she had been wound like a top Ginny turned on her heel and ran up the winding staircase to her bedroom. Slamming the door behind her she grabbed her trunk and began to throw all of her possessions in it. Then taking out her wand she shrunk the trunk to the size of a matchbox and stuffed it into her pocket. She grabbed her money sack from the dresser drawer and Apparated with a pop to the Portkey Departure Terminal at the Ministry of Magic. Only one thought was in her mind, she had to put as much distance between herself and London as possible.

Ginny stood staring at the large magical notice board listing all the departing port keys. Her eyes were running down the list looking for the next international departure time to anywhere. It didn't really matter to her where she went. She just wanted to be anywhere but here. Losing patience with the extensive ever changing sign she approached the ticket window.

"One please," she said shakily to the witch behind the glass.

"To where?" The witch inquired.

"The next international portkey available." Ginny informed the witch who raised one eyebrow quizzically before tapping her wand to a parchment schedule in front of her.

"The next portkey is available in three minutes and goes to America," she told Ginny as her handed her a short piece of blue paper. "Room eighteen. Down the hall fourth door on your right."

With in three minutes Ginny was in New York City but she couldn't stop there. She had to keep going. She caught a second portkey to Denver Colorado and a third to Seattle Washington. It was there she decided to disappear from the magical world. After changing her remaining gold into muggle money she set out into the totally unknown muggle world. She had stayed in Seattle for a few nights before heading north thinking of crossing the border into Canada. It had been luck that she had run into Lyle.

"Mind if I sit down?" Asked the middle aged gentleman.

"Not at all," replied Ginny.

"English?" He asked her.

"Yes," she replied

He sat down in the stool beside her with a small grunt before turning to her again and introducing himself. "My name's Lyle, Lyle Morgan," he said offering his hand to her.

"I'm Gi-Ginger" she stuttered.

"Ginger? Ginger? Great name. I'll have to come up with something else," she thought to herself.

Lyle smiled "Nice to meet you Ginger."

After a cup of tea for her and a cup of coffee for him she had a ride, a job, a place to stay, and a new friend.

Ginny rode north with Lyle immediately following their first conversation to the small border town of Blaine. It turned out Lyle owned a bar called Morgan's that sat on the Bay which separated the U.S. from Canada. He had offered to rent her the small apartment above his bar for nearly nothing and gave her a job as a waitress in the bar itself. She had started work the very next evening and luckily got along quite well with all the regulars and the passers through. It seemed like in no time she felt quite at home. Yes, it had been difficult at first getting used to not using magic. Luckily she had always been a quick study. There were plenty of times she would have loved to be able to levitate those heavy trays to the tables rather than carry them, but soon it became second nature. Lyle had been patient with her. He assumed she was merely inexperienced and chalked her odd questions up to her foreign origins.

Ginny sighed as she remembered her journey. She hadn't spoken to her family since she left home that fateful day. "I wonder what they are all doing right now," she wondered.

With a glance at the clock above the kitchen sink Ginny began to calculate the time difference. "If it's nearly half-past eight at night here," she thought to herself as she cleared the table. "They must all still be sleeping."

With a sudden start she said aloud. "Crap, it's nearly half-past eight. Where is Camilla?"

As if on command there was a knock on the door.

"Camilla. Thank goodness. I've got to get downstairs. We've a bachelor party and a Seahawk's game tonight. We'll be packed." Ginny told Camilla as she ushered her inside.

"I'm sorry Ginger," Camilla started but was interrupted by a shrill cry.

"MOMMMY!" Came the scared cry.

Ginny ran down the short hall pulling open her daughters bedroom door. She gathered the toddler into her arms. "Shh, Lily it's okay. You just had a bad dream but Mummy's here."

"Mommy, scared." Lily cried.

Ginny's heart broke a little every time her daughter woke with a nightmare. With a soothing voice, Ginny stroked Lily's red hair and tilted her chin up so as to look into her little girl's green eyes. "There's nothing to be scared of. Mummy loves you and Camilla is here and Camilla loves you. We won't let anything bad happen to our special Lily."

As Ginny cradled Lily in her arms and stroked her hair the young child's eye lids shut with sleep again. Camilla watched the all too familiar scene. It seemed that both Lily and her mother were plagued with bad dreams. Dreams neither of them were willing to share.

"Ginger, you're going to be late. Don't worry. She'll be fine." Camilla whispered from the doorway.

"To bed again," Ginny said quietly as she laid Lily in her small bed before heading off to work.