Chapter 1: Dream On
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"Honey, come to Auntie Joy!"
"NO!"
"Please? Auntie Joy wants to see her little man before she has to leave for Italy!"
"NO!"
"Silas, go see Joy. She's gonna be gone for three whole days. You're gonna want to give her hugs and kisses before then, aren't you?"
"NO! Don't wanna!"
"Gods, he really has his mother's stubbornness." Joy said with a smirk as she stood to full height and planted her hands on her hips. For five minutes, she'd been bent at the waist with her arms held out in anticipation, and hope, that her Godson would run into her arms to say goodbye before she Apparated to Italy to see her sister get married.
"He has attachment issues." Ginny whispered towards her friend, before reaching around behind her to rub at her son's head, her fingers sliding through his strawberry blonde hair. She could practically feel his pout against her thigh. He didn't want Joy to leave, because Ginny and Joy were the only steady people he'd had in his life for three and a half years. "He thinks that if he doesn't say goodbye, that you won't leave."
"That's because you let him get used to that by falling for his pout." Joy said with a small exasperated look, as she bent to the side, trying to spot Silas from behind Ginny, "C'mon Silas! I'll only be a couple days. And I'll bring you cake!" She bargained, crouching to the ground, in hopes that promises of sweets would lure the child out to bid her adieu. As always, it did.
"Joy!" Ginny exclaimed, "My son doesn't need any more cavities."
"You're the one that lets him play taste-tester at the restaurant!" Joy fired back with a satisfied grin as Silas slowly peaked out from behind his mother's leg, sucking on the tip of his index finger in indecision as he looked between the protective shield known as his mother that promised his Auntie wouldn't leave him, and then to Joy who was promising him cake in return for a hug and kiss and the ability to let her leave for a few days. Both were very promising to him. Cake, shield. Shield, cake. Which to choose?
"But you shouldn't use that as a bargaining chip!"
"But it works." Joy said as Silas waddled forward on his chubby legs, wrapping his equally chubby arms around Joy's neck. She opened her legs wide enough for him to fit between as she wrapped her arms around his back and stood with him in her arms. "There's three ways you can get to any man's heart, regardless of his age. Food, sex, alcohol. I went with the more age-appropriate option here. Little Silas doesn't need to dip into the Firewhiskey until he's 8 or so. It'll be a miracle if he lasts that long living with such a talker of a mother!" Joy joked as she bounced Silas on her hip, getting giggles from him.
"You're such a devil!" Ginny exclaimed, even though she couldn't help but smile. Joy was a God-send to her. After moving into her flat when her mother shoved her and Silas out of the Burrow, Ginny had to go on interviews and such to attempt to get a job. Joy had been all too happy to watch over Silas, deeming him her 'little chubby bunny' as she began to watch after him often. Without money, Ginny didn't know how to pay Joy back, so she began cooking for her when she learnt that Joy had issues in that area of her life. Ginny vaguely remembered the story of a toaster bursting into flames and having something to do with 'Poppy tarts', whatever those were. Joy had a Masters in business from Oxford; having decided to go to a Muggle college after her parents pulled her out of Hogwarts in her fifth year after the War started. Ginny didn't remember Joy from Hogwarts, but Joy said she'd been a Ravenclaw, and they more than likely ran in completely separate groups, not even taking offense when Ginny told her she didn't remember her at all. Joy had decided after a month of homemade meals from Ginny, that they should start a restaurant. Ginny had balked at the idea at first, but after her twelfth callback from interviewers saying they'd decided to go with another person, Ginny was desperate and agreed. Now she was the chef and part owner (despite not helping at all with buying anything in the restaurant) in their restaurant appropriately called The Crossroads. Appropriate, seeing as both had been at such a crossroad when they'd met each other, about what to do with their lives. They became best friends over time, and Ginny named Joy Silas's God-mother after a year.
"True, but you've known this since you met me." Joy said with a smile before she turned her focus to the five year old on her hip, "Okay, chubby bunny. I'll bring you a huge piece of cake if give me five kisses!" Joy told him, in a voice an octave higher than her normal one. The little boy giggled and slapped his hands to Joy's cheeks and pushed then pulled, squishing her plump face together. He leant forward and placed four kisses on the apples of her cheeks, alternating between each twice, before placing a big kiss on the tip of her nose, and pulling back with a loud 'mwah!'. "Thank you, chubby bunny! For that, I'll also bring you back some cookies." She said with a grin as the boy gasped and clapped. Joy hugged him tightly, before putting him down on the ground, "Go back to Mummy." She told him with a soft push between his shoulder blades, "Alright Gin. You're in charge, nothing new for you. Just don't blow anything up…"
"That was a one time accident!" Ginny interjected as she gathered her son into her arms.
Joy just gave her a pointed look before continuing, "And don't forget. Sometime Sunday night before I get back, an investor will be coming to look at the place."
Ginny nodded, having heard about it for two weeks. Some man had suddenly displayed an interest in their restaurant through emails and phone calls. Joy had fielded all of it, being primary owner of the place, plus Ginny preferred being in a kitchen to being in an office. Joy was the opposite. Joy pretty much lived in her office at times, which was a good thing seeing as the first initial call came at an odd hour, having to do with some form of time difference. The man had been cryptic, and it concerned both Joy and Ginny, that he might try and scam them. But they needed investors. Business was alright, but things were expensive. Without big crowds like they'd hoped, they were looking at having to fold and file for bankruptcy within months. Something neither of them wanted to do, especially Ginny. The Crossroads had become home to her. She loved their regulars, she could bring Silas to work, her best friend was her partner in the business, and she got to cook and bake, and be in an enjoyable environment.
"Alright." Joy said with a sigh, leaning forward and hugging both Ginny and Silas tightly at once, before she pulled back and grabbed her luggage. With a loud crack, she was gone.
"Just you and me for three days, baby. Think we should get to work?" Ginny asked, staring at her son with a small smile as he nodded eagerly. He enjoyed helping her cook and bake. Mainly, he enjoyed eating anything she made. By his tenth birthday, he'd probably weigh a ton at this rate. Plus, he loved to wear the little chef's hat Joy had gotten him for his fourth birthday. Ginny had managed to talk her out of an Easy Bake Oven, thankfully.
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"Silas! Stop!" Ginny said in exasperation as the little boy ran around the kitchen with a frosting spatula. She stirred the alfrado sauce and looked over her shoulder to look for him, and looked just in time to see him run out of the kitchen. She cursed under her breath, and reached out to turn down the heat on the sauce to go grab him, when she heard the double doors swing again. "Silas, you know better than to run from Mummy when she's working." Ginny said as she added seasoning and fresh parmesan to the sauce, and then turned to find her son. She was greeted with the unexpected site of a man holding her son with a large smile on his face.
"Lose something?" He asked, looking down with a grin at the five year old smacking him upside the back of his head with the frosting spatula.
"Yeah, it's a zoo back here. I'm the only chef. Joy's on vacation for Anwen and Colin's wedding." Ginny said, reaching out and grabbing Silas, and walking to the opposite counter where she would begin to prepare cheesecake brownies shortly. "Honey, watch this chocolate, okay? If it bubbles, you know what to do. And no tasting it. It's very hot. I'll let you be the first to have dessert when it's done, okay?" She asked him, kissing his forehead when he nodded. She turned back to her sauce, ignoring the man in the kitchen with everything she could, willing him to evaporate or eviscerate or something else that starts with 'ev' that either got him out of there or made him die a horribly painful death. "What're you doing here, Ronald?" She asked impatiently, turning to stare at her brother. One she'd seem maybe four times in that many years.
"I can't come see my sister and nephew in their element?" Ron asked innocently, gesturing with his hands at the kitchen.
"No, you can't, 'cause you've showed no desire to in the past four and a half years since Mum kicked my son and I out of the Burrow." Ginny seethed, trying to keep her voice low so that her son didn't overhear the discussion. He may seem to be extremely intent and invested in the goings of inside the large brown pot where chocolate was melting, but he was good at multi-tasking and appearing to be one thing while listening intently on conversations. She was sure her son was going to grow up to be a spy of some sort.
"Mum and dad miss you." Ron said dejectedly, "We all do. Just because they wanted you out of the house, didn't mean they wanted you or Silas out of all of our lives. You're both family. We're the only family aside from you that Silas has. He should get to know us to compensate for lack of a father figure."
Ginny stared at Ron in shock and surprise. Not only did he have the gall to come into her place of business and put this out there, but he'd used the word 'compensate' and correctly, too. "Gonna call me a whore now, like Mum did?" Ginny spat sourly, turning to stir the sauce again, turning the heat up on the water that was supposed to be for the fettuccini if the water would boil.
"Mum was out of line that day, alright? She knows it. We all do. She had yours and Silas's best interest at heart. She wanted you to become independent from the family so that you didn't rely on her and dad every day to watch after Silas. She may have gone about it a bit… pushy and wrong, but that doesn't mean you should shut out all of your family for her poor choice in words."
"You're right. Doesn't mean I should. Just means that I am. Ron… I'm working. I have a son to take care of. I have a business to take care of. And patrons are not allowed in the kitchen. And I have the right not to serve anyone that I wish, and you, and anyone else from the family, will not be served inside this restaurant. Silas, Joy, The Crossroads… they are my family, this is my home. You can leave now." Ginny said emotionlessly as she dumped fettuccini into the barely boiling water, and never turned back to stare at her brother who was still standing in the kitchen. It was another full minute before she heard his departing footsteps and the swish of the double doors.
Usually she liked Fridays. Thank God, only forty-eight hours until Joy was back.
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Saturday was just as bad as Friday night. Someone seemed to tell the entire country that The Crossroads was the best place to get a good meal. They were twice as busy as usual, and by eight PM, Ginny was ready to handcuff Silas to the stair railing that led up to Joy's office. He was all over the place in excitement from all the new people. He enjoyed asking them random questions. Running around after Silas and trying to cook dozens of meals at a time made Ginny make a mental note to talk to Joy about hiring another chef or another nanny for when Joy couldn't be around to keep up with Ginny's bundle of energetic joy.
Ginny sighed tiredly as she looked out into the restaurant. Only a few of the regulars were left, helping decorate the Christmas tree. November was closing, already on the thirtieth, and without Joy around, Ginny didn't have time to get the tree up by opening in the morning for the start of their Christmas theme. Once the tree was up, all the desserts, and some breakfasts', began to resemble the shape of various Christmas items, such as trees, ornaments, drummer boys, candy canes, all the like. Ginny would be up all night alone unearthing the cutters that achieved this feat, and then baking all the cakes to put on display. Ginny looked into the kitchen, and saw Silas curled up on two chairs pressed together, snoring slightly, causing her to sigh in relief. She put her apron on the countertop, and went into the restaurant, "Hey everyone." She greeted the regulars, Trishelle, George and Lia, Oliver, and Edwin.
Trishelle was a vivacious blonde in her early twenties with a personality too big for the country and a bigger sense of humor, who enjoyed the coffee and desserts over anything else in the restaurant. She came across it when she'd realized she'd gone a whole twenty-four hours without coffee, and immediately ran into the establishment begging for it, and then added in an afterthought two cookies. She ended up taking home a dozen, and coming back for more every day. George and Lia were a married couple in their early thirties that had stumbled into the place arguing about asking for directions after taking a few wrong turns on a trip to find a prospective flat (which was in Ginny's building coincidentally), and both had reluctantly stopped to get a bite to eat when they realized they were hungry. Ginny helped them find the apartment building easily, they moved in a month later, and came daily to The Crossroads for dinner and dessert. Oliver was the playboy of the group. He'd tried to pick up Ginny, Joy, Trishelle, and several random female customers. Sometimes he had luck because he was charming and charismatic, but Ginny and Joy knew better, and Trishelle was in denial about having a thing for him, so she declined all the time he propositioned her, for lack of a better word. He'd come across the restaurant while trying to find a place out of the way where he could bring a date and not be seen by any of his other girls on the side. Unfortunately, that eventually happened, but that's another story that resulted in a food fight and five hundred dollars to replace dishes. Then there was Edwin. The father-figure of their family of sorts. He was the oldest, in his seventies, and a man sweet as can be. He helped with Silas when Ginny and Joy were unable to watch him. He was a lonely man, with no children, and a deceased wife, so he came for all his meals and human interaction at The Crossroads. Ginny had grown close to him, seeing him as her surrogate father, and Silas's surrogate grandfather. Silas had even taken to calling him 'grampie'.
"Hey Ginny!" Each chorused as they decorated the tree. White icicle lights were already strung around the walls, and Ginny chuckled to herself when she noticed Oliver had placed mistletoe every two feet along the ceiling's length. The tree already made the place smell like pine, and Ginny took a deep breath. She loved that smell. Made her want to curl up next to a fireplace with a cup of hot chocolate and a candy cane and just relax.
"Oliver, I think you missed a spot with the mistletoe." Ginny teased, pointing to the door. That seemed to be the only spot where there wasn't mistletoe.
"No, I didn't forget it. I think that's too much, putting it above the door. It's rude to assault people with a kiss after they immediately enter an establishment." Oliver said in all seriousness, before turning back to the tree and grabbing the lights from the outstretched arms of George on the other side who had been flailing them around in an attempt to get Oliver to grab them before he fell into the tree and killed them both.
"How you doin' pumpkin?" Edwin asked, coming up on the side of Ginny. He smiled kindly at her as he used his nickname for her. Most would think it was used as a pet-name of sorts, but it wasn't in this case. First time Edwin had walked into The Crossroads had been the restaurants first Halloween open. He later found out that Joy had insisted they wear costumes and set up decorations for the theme. Ginny and Silas had dressed like pumpkins. Edwin thought it were appropriate enough with her hair color. Ginny became pumpkin to him in a joking way, but as he came more and more to the restaurant over the years, it had stuck.
"Okay, Edwin. Just tired. Silas seems to have this never-ending supply of energy sometimes. Takes all I have not to knock him out with a fry pan at night just to sleep." She said jokingly. That was a joke with them. Trishelle had once rebutted to Ginny's woes of exhaustion that Ginny should 'just whack him on the head with a pan. It's a kitchen, accidents happen! And being around you, he's already mentally damaged so you don't have to worry about making it worse.' Of course, it'd been in good fun. Trishelle would never actually condone that kind of abuse, nor would Ginny do such a thing. Ginny was very protective of Silas.
"If you need me to take the kiddo, I can. You know that. I know Joy's gone right now, and you're juggling a lot. I'd happily take him for the night or weekend if you wish for some rest and relaxation." Edwin offered, rubbing Ginny's back softly while he spoke. He really thought of Ginny as the daughter he never had.
"I'll help with the relaxation part!" Oliver said as he walked by, winking suggestively as he went to hang an enticing Betty Boop clad in a Santa hat and banner that said 'Happy Ho-Ho-Holidays' and that's it, onto the Christmas tree even though the lights were barely done.
"G rated ornaments only, Oliver!" Ginny reprimanded. He was just as bad as a hormonal teenager sometimes. He made her fear Silas in a decade.
"Don't even!" Lia cut in when Oliver opened his mouth, "He's been waiting for you to say that all night so that he could come back with some snappy little come-on that involves turning G rated to NC-17 rated. It also involves the fact that your initial is G, ha-ha, joke-joke." Lia ended with an eye roll and sarcastic laugh as she blew Oliver's plan.
"It sounds much better when it's said." Oliver grumbled, turning back to the tree.
"That's what you say about everything you say." Came George's muffled voice.
"You okay back there George?" Ginny called out. She knew that he was in one of the most uncomfortable positions known to mankind. Stuck between a sticky, sappy, pointy pine tree and the cold, hard bay window of the display window for the restaurant. She'd been stuck in that position numerous times. Somehow, Joy always managed to get her back there before she knew what was going on.
"Fine!" He called back, and gave thumbs up sign to belie the whimper and frown that came from him that no one could see.
"He'll be fine. I'll reward him tonight for being a good sport." Lia said with a smirk, chuckling at the sigh of relief that managed to make it around the massive tree, from George's mouth.
"You guys didn't have to do this. I could have done it magically, or waited for Joy tomorrow night." Ginny said with her hands on her hips. She saw these people as more than loyal customers. They were friends. Sure, they might barely hang out outside of the restaurant, but they hung out enough inside the restaurant to make up for it.
"You shouldn't do it magically though. It takes away from the Christmas experience!" Trishelle argued, putting a Santa hat on over her blonde hair, and picked up the trash bag that held all the Christmas supplies, and slung it over her shoulder. "What do you think? Could I pass for the real thing?"
"You're missing the beard, red outfit, and milk-and-cookies gut." Lia told her as she pretended to exam her carefully.
George's voice drifted out from behind the tree, "No, she's already got the milk-and-cookies gut!"
Trishelle glared lightly at the tree, "Is it possible to electrocute him with those Christmas lights?" She inquired to Oliver.
"Not sure, but you can come down my chimney any time you want to." Oliver said with a wink.
The girls all looked at each other before stating in unison, "Double entendre." They giggled and shook their heads, before Lia went to the tree to help her husband, Trishelle began sifting through the trash bag, and Ginny went to sit in a booth next to Edwin.
"When does Joy come back?" Lia called out from behind the tree, followed by a small giggle.
"24 hours."
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"Can you please just watch him back here tonight?" Ginny pleaded with Trishelle. She was having the girl take care of some orders that needed to go out for food and equipment, and keep an eye on Silas. "We've got an investor coming within the hour, and the last thing I need is for this place to seem unprofessional."
"Well, the whole tagline for this place is just for this to be somewhere to rest on life's winding road, or whatever. You're just supposed to come here and have fun. It's a relaxed environment, Ginny. If you look too professional, you look stuck up and snobby." Trishelle gave her opinion, even though she knew it wasn't necessarily needed. She just thought she should give it anyways, "But yes. I'll get these orders wrote up for you, and watch Silas, I promise."
"You're my lifesaver, you know that?" Ginny asked, grasping Trishelle's hands gratefully.
"Of course I am." She said with a bright smile, and a small shrug of her shoulders. She took her hands out of Ginny's, and turned the girl towards the mouth of the kitchen. She gave her a little push, "Go on. Just go about business as per usual. Well… without having to worry about Silas. He and I will be fine. Don't even think about him right now. Just go make some awesome food for this guy."
"Yeah, awesome. No worrying. Right. Got it." Ginny said, her voice belying her confident mask. She took a deep breath, and went about preparing the food. She was going to make the best Crab Napoleon for this guy. It wasn't something really ordered on the menu, but it was one of the dishes she'd first made that hadn't burnt or exploded in the restaurant as she attempted to get used to the ovens and their varying temperatures from that of the one at the Burrow or her flat where she'd been cooking. The favored foods for the customers were burgers, or chicken, or pastas. They really were just a relaxed atmosphere. But investors weren't relaxed. They expected greatness.
After about half an hour, a loud crack sounded upstairs in Joy's office, along with an equally loud thump. Ginny smiled as she added garnishes to the plate, happy that her friend was back just in time to see her masterpiece. She heard Joy coming down the stairs, followed by her son's voice screaming her name. She turned and walked to the back of the kitchen just in time to see Silas launch himself off the tabletop at Joy. She was so happy that Joy was able to catch him, and not topple over.
"Silas!" Ginny's surprised voice took on a reprimanding edge.
"It's okay." Joy said with a laugh, "At least I caught him. Thank Quidditch, I suppose." She said, walking over to Ginny and wrapping her free arm around the redhead's neck, "Hey doll. I missed you! And yay! I didn't Apparate into charred remains."
"Your faith in me is overwhelming." Ginny deadpanned before she quickly hugged Joy back. "How was the wedding?"
Joy didn't get a chance to respond, as Lia came running breathlessly into the kitchen, "A guy just asked to see the owners of the place. Looks very businessman-like. I think he's your investor, or he's a health inspector, or just in disguise and casing the place, because he was looking at every nook and cranny."
Ginny's breath hitched as nerves kicked in. She looked at Joy, who was putting a whining Silas down on the tabletop again. "This is it." Ginny said, watching Joy nod in reassurance, pushing Ginny forward. "Why do I have to go first?! And why do people keep pushing me?" She asked, huffing before setting her jaw. She took a deep breath through her nose, and let it pass through her lips before she headed for the door that exited to the main area, grabbing the plate of food on the way as an afterthought. Her eyes scanned the room for the man Lia had described.
Ginny's breath caught in her chest as her eyes landed on the back of a head of silver blonde hair standing in the middle of her restaurant. It was like a beacon against the soft yellow-red lighting of the interior. She felt Joy walk into her back, and inquire about what was wrong, but Ginny's mouth couldn't move. It was open, but sound wasn't able to come out. The back of his profile showed that he was still arrogant, standing tall with a certain air of superiority. His hair was longer, brushing the collar of his expensive velvet robes, and slicked with gel into place. As if he felt her eyes, he turned slowly, and when curious grey met scared hazel, both eyes opened large in surprise, and the plate slipped from Ginny's hand, crashing to the floor and splattering glass and food across the tile.
"Auntie Joy! My cake and cookies!" Silas's voice came from the kitchen, getting steadily louder as he headed for the door.
Ginny panicked and tore her eyes from the man's, to the floor at the food and glass, and then to the door where her son was about to rush through. She jumped over the food and gathered Silas into her arms right in time before he could step in a patch of sauce and go flying across the floor. She clutched Silas to her chest, hugging him tightly as her eyes connected with grey again. This time, his eyes swam with confusion and another emotion that she couldn't map. She noticed them steel over when he heard Silas's next words, "Auntie Joy didn't give me my sweets, Mummy." Silas's eyes followed his mother's to the man, "Mummy, who is that?" He asked, looking between the man and his mother. He looked over at the silver haired man and smiled, "Hello! We have the same eyes!"
And with that statement, realization dawned in the restaurant.
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Yeah, we're jumping right into the D/G dramatic fray. This chapter was mostly an introductory chapter to Ginny's friends and surrogate family in the Weasley family absence, and also a way to explain the relationship between Ginny and the Weasley family since she left the Burrow with Ron's appearance. As well as give you insight to a five-year-olds mind, and the relationship with his mother. Or what I expect it to be like. I wouldn't know. I'm only 17 and the baby of the family, so I haven't had any sort of first hand, or second hand, experience. But my sister just found out she's pregnant the day after Christmas, so if this is still up in September, I'll be able to flashback with experience of how a baby acts!
Claimer: I own Joy, The Crossroads, Trishelle, Edwin, Oliver (he's not Oliver Wood), Lia, and George. As well as Silas obviously. If you'd like to know, writing Joy (who will be the most used original as she's best friends with Ginny) I imagine actress Martine McCutcheon (Natalie from Love Actually).
Disclaimer: Poppy tarts equal Poptarts. I don't own that company nor am I affiliated with it or gaining any profit from mentioning it. (But that actually happened to me. I accidentally lit Poptarts on fire recently.) I am also not affiliated or gaining any sort of profit from the mention of Easy Bake Oven. Nor from the mention of Oxford, Betty Boop, or any other company/franchise/person mentioned here that I may have overlooked.