milliways_bar | (no subject)

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Head scarf tucked beneath his arm but still clad in his galabayya, Bill opens the door entirely absorbed in Al-Ahram Weekly. The letters on the newsprint would be unrecognisable to most, but he's worked in Luxor for a long time and knows the language almost too well. He doesn't really seem to register anyone at the bar or even the fact he's back at the bar: he's fixated on the paper. Stumbling into the nearest table, he curses beneath his breath but sits in the closest available chair, drawing out his wand.

He uses it as a pen; it highlights the article he's reading. He sets that paper aside and takes out another one: he's got a whole stack. Next up is Cairo Live, and after that it will be the Middle East Times. He'll finish with the Egypt Daily News and that will be enough. His face falls as he reads; he finds himself highlighting more and more news stories that by themselves might be entirely insignificant but when they're read as a series... they start to fall together like pieces of a puzzle.

Fuck. These are not random acts, he thinks. No: on 12 January in Siwa, a house was set afire and all the camels' throats slit. The family who owned the property were never found. A week later at the Dakhla Oasis near Mut, a woman was found dead but no cause of death could be established. On 3 February, three eleven-year-old children were found stoned to death on the banks of the Nile near Sohag. In mid-February a family disappeared from Mallawi and another from Minya. And on and on it went: in none of these cases was motive ever established, and no perpetrators were ever caught.

"Fuck!" Bill says it out loud this time, hand wrapping unhappily round the end of his wand. "Fuck, fuck, fuck. Fuck." He flags down a passing wait-rat. "Bring me a large glass of Ogden's. In fact, make it the whole bloody bottle. They're heading straight towards Cairo."

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Ginny walks over next to Bill and smiles as she hides the blush as she remembers what she's done this past week

"Hello"

"Little sister." He reaches over and musses her hair, putting the newspapers to the side, tucking his wand away, forcing a smile. "You look devilishly happy: what have you been doing to keep yourself occupied?"

She smiles at him then blinks some as she smiles

"i've met some new people that's what"

She don't fix her hair or tell him off for calling her little.. Not normal

He studies her: she's looking a bit thoughtful.

No, not thoughtful. She's looking bloody evasive.

"Ginevra. What have you been doing? Who have you met?"

She looks at him..All innocence.. That would work if she didn't look guilty

"Don't call me that."

she sits in a chair beside him in a huff..she's been caught

"I'veSnoggedDracoMetHellspawnShaggedHim"

oh yeah she ran that all together

"I talked to Mum, Draco, Magnius, Hellspawn, Penny, Guppy"

Drag that out distract from the other

Luckily for Ginny, he doesn't hear anything beyond snogged Draco.

Or perhaps it's not so lucky.

Bill's smile fades. "You did what with Draco? Draco Malfoy?"

She wilts in her chair some

"I snogged him"

She don't look happy about it...

Scratching his head, Bill takes a sip of Ogden's. And another. He looks away, then towards the door, then towards the viewing window.

Then he looks back at his baby sister.

"I'm not Dad, you know. Just... be careful with any Malfoy. You know that, right?"

It's a costly thing for him to say, and it goes against all his instincts. But Ginny is her own person and he won't tell her what to do.

On the other hand, if Draco Malfoy walked up right now, he might not get away unscathed.

Ginny knows this and she decides that if he's gonna handle this she'll go head first

"I wouldn't Worry about Draco.. so Much as Hellspawn"

Damn it why is she about to save draco..

Bill takes a very, very deep breath. "Right, then, Ginevra: who or what is Hellspawn and what happened with... it?"

He drums his fingers on the table. Sometimes, being eldest brother is a heavy responsibility.

She wilts in her chair lke she was 5 and got her hand caught in the cookie jar.. Poor Ginny

"Hell spawn is a man.. a couple years older then me.. he always wears a mask.. and I umm well i got put in this costume and then he flirted and things when past that"

"You flirted with a man in a mask. And got put in a costume. And he's several years older than you. And things went past that." His voice is detached, as if he's simply reading a shopping list.

"Aren't you glad I'm not Dad."

Beneath the table, his hand is so tight on his knee he's losing circulation.

Ginny looks ready to cry with that tone an dshe was almost past this

"yes i'm sorry i didn't mean to really do it Bill.. It just went so far and it felt good and I'm sorry"

she covers her face with her heand as tears slide down, the way he was calm about it was worse then yeling now she felt like she had let her family down

Fuck. It seems to be the operative word of the day; Bill puts his hands on Ginny's shoulders. "Of course it felt good."

He's not sure that's making things any better. "And don't be sorry on my account, Ginny. I was your age when I..."

Stopping, he thinks the better of that. "Just... be careful. Take care of yourself. It's so easy to be drawn in by people who only want to use us then cast us aside. Just... take care of yourself. Or I'll have to go curse these people because Dad's not here, and it's my job as your eldest brother to take care of you." He rubs her shoulders. "Are you all right? You are, aren't you? Nobody hurt you?"

She nods slowly as she looks at him with tears slidding down her cheeks as she tries to smile for him..

"I'm ok..I just it was all I can't explain it.. its all just confusing, I know you will curst people that's why I kinda Glad he's not here when i told you.. and that its just you, not you, Charlie, Percy, Fred, George and Ron the poor guy would never have a chance"

she does smile for real then

"But Mum knows" she nods to the teenaged version of her mom

Letting out a sigh and leaning forward, elbow bent, Bill rubs his forehead. He thinks it's probably let's all confess to Bill night; he's glad he's not usually here any more.

"Well. At least you found someone to share it with..." He glances at his mum. "I can't tell you what to do, little one. I can only advise you to do it with caution and... you do know the proper spells, don't you? The protective ones?"

Please tell me you used them.

Ginny nods slowly at him.. She really just wanted to say hi and get some hugs.. today

"Yes I did I'm not sTupid"

There is the old spunk back

"besides I amost got put in Cells too for hexing Draco the day after we snogged."

Now he laughs. "That's the spirit. If you ever end up in the cells, I'll bring you chocolate milkshakes." Bill grins at her. She's growing up, but to him she'll always be his baby sister.

she smiles at him Cutely

"You know that sounds most lovely.. And i would let you because those are yummy"

Bill laughs. "You're my sister. Of course I'd take care of you. Just do me one favour: stop snogging any Malfoys, right?"

He doesn't say a word about the whole costumed incident that went too far; that's Ginny's business and not his. Heaven knows he was no saint at her age.

"Deal.. It was a Challenge And I think I won. But you know it was ok.. SOOO How is Fleur?"

She smiles and didn't just change the subject.

"Expecting me to dinner, I suspect." Standing, he gathers up his newspapers and head scarf. "And we don't like to keep her waiting and no, please don't call her that, even behind my back, right? I can tell it's at the tip of your tongue, Ginny. You've been bad enough for one week."

But he grins and reaches over and hugs his sister. "Try to behave for a few hours, would you? I can't be here all the time to look after you any more."

She Blushes as she looks at him and grins

"I don't call her anything and Byebye.. Talk to you later"

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