The Simple Life

The Simple Life

Chapter one-Madness, Monsters and Malfoy

Albus Dumbledore sat grandly in his large armchair, which was placed behind an even larger, dark wooden writing desk. He sat forewords with his fingers pressed together in deep thought. He was thinking about the upcoming year, and what a year it was going to be. He had to deal with a large amount of very obnoxious seventeen year olds. It was the most bias year he had ever seen grace Hogwarts.

The liking of the Gryffindor's and the Slytherin's had always been tense; it was a sort of hatred that could be traced back to Salazar and Godric themselves. But the hatred was strong in this year and even the Ravenclaws had seemed to form distaste for the less complex minds of the Hufflepuff. And as the war grew closer, the tension rose to shocking levels. This is why, Albus as Hogwarts Headmaster, had decided to give them a taste for reality. As the teenagers minds seemed to become less and less expanded, he thought that he would offer them a proposal of a sort of, school excursion down under. He would have to send someone mature with them, not a teacher, a student, someone who also rivalled with the Slytherins. Someone who could deal with rough times.....the perfect person struck like lightning. He immediately began writing, and the scratching of his quill continued well into the early hours of the morning.

~*~*~*~*~

"On the count of three, everyone jump. One, two....three!"

Following the words of the male freckled faced, redheaded Weasley, five teenagers jumped from the stony edge of the Longbottom's swimming pool in quick succession. Neville hit the cool, refreshing water first, followed by Ron, then Harry, then Hermione and lastly Ginny.

Ginny pushed of the bottom of the pool and took a sharp breath as she broke the surface of the clear water. She looked to Hermione, who was watching the boys as they raced up to other end of the pool, Ron in the lead.

"I had no idea Ron was such a good swimmer," Hermione commented. Her eyes sort of glazed over as she watched her boyfriend throw his arms in the air in triumph. Ginny laughed and swam calmly to Hermione's side.

"Well I'm just happy you two finally got together. You two finally saw the spark between you!" Ginny cried overenthusiastic. Hermione raised her eyebrow at Ginny then they both broke into a fit of giggles. By the time they had come to themselves, Harry, Ron and Neville had returned, all panting slightly.

"That was brilliant. Did you see me Herm, I won," he put his arms around Hermione and they both laughed. Ginny rested back against the pool wall and looked at the cool blue sky. It was strange to have this sort of weather here. Not a cloud in the sky and the heat was rising; well it was cooler than yesterday. It was August 21st and Neville had invited Ron, Harry, Hermione and Ginny to his Grans house because it was so hot and he had a pool. To Ginny's surprise Neville didn't live far away from The Burrow so she promised to visit more often, after all Neville had lost his puppy dog complexion and was turning out to be quite good looking.

"Its so nice being in the pool," Ginny sighed and everyone agreed. After two more hours of swimming, eating and drinking cold fizzy drinks, it was six. "Thank you so much for inviting us Neville." Ginny said, giving him a small kiss on the cheek as she and the others stood out the front of Neville's castle like house. Hermione followed suit, but quickly stepped back to Ron.

"Yeah, it was the best. We'll see you tomorrow on the train," said Ron, shaking Neville's hand. Neville was grinning broadly. After Harry shook his hand and thanked him they headed down the road towards the large white painted gates.

"Thanks for coming, see you tomorrow!" he cried after them as they walked down the road that lead to Ottery St Catchpole.

"That was fun," Harry said shaking his hair so water flew from it. "I had no idea Neville was so rich?!" Ginny figured he meant Neville's house, well castle. Ginny knew Neville was rich, the Longbottoms were a pure blood family and very ancient and Neville had also mentioned to her at the Yule ball that he lived in a white mansion, 3 stories and a basement. With towers, turrets, a swimming pool and games room, with plenty of muggle and wizarding games in it.

"Well the Longbottoms are a pure blood family." said Hermione simply. "I can't wait until school starts. Seventh year is very important," she sighed. Harry laughed nervously, Ron grunted.

"Herm, don't ruin my perfect day talking about school," he moaned. Hermione laughed and grabbed his hand. Ginny felt very strange walking beside her first crush while her brother and best friend cuddled-up in front of her. She looked to Harry and grinned and he smiled back.

Ginny had gotten over her childhood fascination with The-Boy-Who-Lived in her fourth year. She had come to her senses and started dating boys that were interested in her. Of course it was just her luck none of those boys seemed to tickle her fancy but she dated them anyway.

When the walk though the town was over they began the hike up the slightly steep hill that lead to The Burrow. After many years of travelling up the hill, the walk was very easy and Ginny reached the house first. Ginny looked up to The Burrow as it loomed over her. It was eight stories high and Ginny loved it. It was looking slightly patchy with all the different coloured walls that covered it, the newer area looked the most impressive. It was red brick and had a bay window that Ginny liked to sit in and read.

"Hey mum," said Ginny as she walked into the kitchen. Molly Weasley greeted her only daughter happily as she used magic to peal potatoes.

"Ginny help with those carrots," Molly waved her wand at the carrots on the table, they gave a little jump and one rolled of the table.

"Of course mum," Ginny replied happily as she bent over and picked up the carrot. She grabbed a knife and cut them neatly. It reminded her of potions; cutting up the ingredients and placing them into water. She secretly liked potions, she always had. Snape didn't seem to bother her like he did Harry. Actually when she thought about it, he treated her better then all Gryffindors.

After dinner Ginny made her way to the bay window in the family room. She had her favourite book propped against her knees and a cup of chocolate milk grasped in her left hand. The book was called When I Find You, and it was a true story about a girl who searched the world for her real father and when she found him she realised that she had wasted her time and that he didn't love her at all. Ginny loved true stories, especially muggle ones. This particular one was very long and Ginny had read it before but once she started reading it again, she couldn't put it down.

Ginny stared out the window to give her eyes a rest from the tiny writing. She looed up to the stars, they were blurry slightly and after a moment staring her eyelids dropped and she was asleep.

She was sitting on a rock in the centre of the Quidditch pitch reading a book with gold writing, she was reading aloud but couldn't hear her own words. All she managed to hear was whisper, dieing...hold me, future..... But why was she saying whisper? She looked up to see a person walking towards her. A person with blonde hair, pale skin, a lean figure, it was Malfoy. He started talking to her but she couldn't hear his words. She kept trying to ask him to speak up but he mustn't have been able to hear her.

Suddenly there was a bright flash of white light and she was sitting in the Hogwarts Express, facing Hermione. Harry was standing in front of her, looking annoyed, he was looking at someone standing outside the compartment.

Malfoy again.

There was a loud cracking nose above them and a large part of the roof fell in, landing on Harry, bits on Ginny's legs. She felt the metal cut into her thighs, blood poured over her robes.

Flash

Now she was in St Mungos. A nurse leaned over her as she lay in bed. Her legs felt twisted. She groaned in pain and pulled back the sheets. Her legs were gone.

Flash

She was sitting in a wheel chair, dressed in her best black wizarding robes. She was crying and staring at a coffin. She looked to the grave stone beside her. HARRY POTTER. Her heart stopped. She started screaming and felt something drop on her toes. Toes? She looked down her legs were back! When she looked back up she was standing in a room filled with glass orbs. Department of Mysteries. It was Tom. He walked towards her, suddenly they were in the Chamber again. He reached towards her and put his hand on her chin.

"I have never found another like you Ginny," Tom said sadly. "I will always love you." He put his hand on his chest then he leaned towards her, he was going to kiss her and she was going to kiss him. Then she couldn't breath, she reached backwards and fell.

Ginny's eyes shot open and she gasped. She could feel someone's arms around her shoulders. She was on the floor and her book was laying a few feet away.

"Ginny? Honey, are you alright?" asked her mother. Ginny sat up against the wall and breathed deeply. Her mother looked at her worriedly. Ron, Harry and Hermione stood behind her looking anxious.

"I'm-fine," Ginny gasped. "J-just a b-bad dream."

At that moment a large barn owl flew through the open window and dropped four letters into a pile in front of Ron. Ron looked at them curiously as he picked them up.

"There's one for each of us," he said and he handed Harry and Hermione theirs then walked over the Ginny and handed her hers.

Ginny looked at it questionably. Why would the school be writing now? She tore of the seal and read the letter quickly.

Dear Miss Virginia Weasley,

It is with great begging that send this letter to you. I wish to send the seventh years on an excursion to Australia and I was thinking that perhaps you would like to join them as a prefect and very well behaved one. I assure you that the excursion is free on your account and you are just what they need to show them how strong a person can be. So please do me the honour of this suggestion.

Yours sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore

Hogwarts Headmaster etc...

Ginny re-read the letter a number of times before the excitement settled in. She was being trusted by Dumbledore to go on an excursion and look out for the seventh graders?! She looked over to her mother who was reading Ron's letter out loud.

""The excursion is to improve self-being and see the beauties of the Australian outback"!" she exclaimed. "Oh how exciting, this is a very good opportunity and you are most differently going."

"Me too?" Ginny asked. Everyone looked at her questionably. Her mother looked concerned and she walked over and put her hand on Ginny's forehead.

"That must have been a nasty bump. Sweetie, you're not a seventh year," she said conclusively. Ginny sighed and held up her letter. Her mother skimmed it quickly and let out a gasp at the end. "Oh Ginny this is marvellous!"

"Why does she get to come?" Ron asked grabbing the letter. He didn't sound happy and read the letter with a grumpy expression. "Because she's a good student!" he cried.

Ginny snatched the letter back and poked out her tongue. "I'm going to Australia! I'm going to Australia!" she chanted as she skipped up the stairs to her room. "Goodnight everyone! I'm going to Australia!"

~*~*~*~*~

The next mourning was usually not hectic. Everyone seemed to be ready and as Ginny stumbled down the stairs, at eight o'clock, she found Ron, Harry, Hermione and her mother sitting at the kitchen table all staring very dulling at the pile of toast in the centre of the table.

"Mourning," Ginny said brightly as she took a seat beside Hermione. Ron and Harry both seemed to grunt in reply.

"Good mourning sweetie. Feeling well?" her mother asked buttering some toast. Ginny nodded and smiled.

"I feel great. When are we leaving?"

Her mother looked thoughtful, then to the twelve handed clock. She frowned slightly then sighed. "As soon as your father gets home. He's got one of those ministry cars to take us to London. And speak of the Merlin." At that moment in walked Ginny's father. His red hair was bolding and slightly grey but his freckled face was lighted up with a glowing smile.

"Dad!" cried Ron happily. After a happy exchange of "hi's" and "hello's" they brought down their trunks and packed them into the black ministry car. All four of the kids managed to squeeze onto the backseat; Ginny was squished between the door and Hermione. It seemed like a long drive to the station but after they arrived and Ginny stood beside the train, she felt like she was finally free. Free from her mother's watchful gaze and into the boundless joys of the sixth year.

Ginny grinned to herself as she thought about the up coming year. She had decided that this was her year and she would make the most of it. Of course she did have Ron to worry about and she would be going to Australia but she couldn't' help but be excited about the adventures she was going to have.

After a rush of farewells the children were finally on board the train. Ginny left Ron, Harry and Hermione as soon as the platform was out of sight in search of her own friends. She didn't get far before a familiar voice yelled out.

"Hey bitch!"

The speaker was Madison Greengrass, a sixth year Slytherin. Maddie was a little taller then Ginny, with black hair and blue eyes. She was quite pale and was very, very rich. She was pretty and loved everything to do with cosmetic magic, something they had in common. Ginny couldn't really remember how she and Madison became friends, it was some time back in first year. They had hated each other, maybe it was the time they were in detention all week together? Or when Madison had returned Ginny's diary after she'd lost it? Well whatever it was, they were best friends in their second year and talked to each other like they still hated each other. It was just something they did and not many people understood, least of all Ron. They also, along with Janet Clover, were the most popular girls in their year according to them. Madison also had the foulest mouth in the school.

"Hey Maddie! Have a good summer?" Maddie screwed up her face and huffed. She and Ginny linked arms as they walked down the corridor in search of a spare compartment.

"Not really. I went to my uncles in the US which was so boring and there were those parties although the Malfoy one was pretty good. Daphne had fun." Madison winked and Ginny groaned, then they both broke into fits of giggles. The love life of Madison's one year older sister Daphne Greengrass was well known around the school. Daphne was rich, beautiful and managed to go though every boy who according to her, were good enough for her. The current guy she seemed to be going for was Draco Malfoy.

It wasn't long before they found the third member of their group, Janet Clover. She was sitting in a compartment reading the latest Girlwitch with her legs crossed and looking very bored. Ginny had to admit that Janet was indeed the best looking of the group. She had waist length blonde hair, tanned skin, a perfect figure and deep green eyes, nothing like Harry's. Janet's sparkled but the only thing that seemed to keep the boys away from her was the fact she was muggle-born and she was poor. She had hardly any money because her father was a drunk and her mother was hopeless and couldn't get a job anywhere. But Janet was a proud muggle-born and liked to remind everyone she was. Ginny liked Janet better then Maddie, mainly because Janet was a Gryffindor and they shared a dorm and spent more time together.

"Hey there, Miss Muggle," Maddie cried when she pulled open the door. Janet looked up and smiled brightly. She jumped up from her seat and hugged both Ginny and Maddie at the same time.

"Hey guys," Janet said in a muffled voice. "So what did you get up to?" Janet asked Ginny.

"Well, not much really. I did get prefect again,"

"Wicked," Janet and Maddie said at the same time. They looked at each other and laughed.

"I also got a free trip to Australia!" Ginny felt the excitement rise again. Maddie's mouth dropped and she looked at Ginny with wide eyes.

"Oh my god! Me too!" Maddie and Ginny both screamed excitedly. They looked to Janet expecting her to look confused or sad or even annoyed but certainly not happy.

"You too?" asked Ginny and Janet nodded. All three of them screamed again, this time they jumped up from their seats and jumped around happily.

"Should have guessed it'd be you three making that horrid racket."

They stopped jumping as a cold drawling voice interrupted. Ginny knew who it was and spun around quickly. Draco Malfoy was standing at the door looking rather smug. The answer was pinned to his chest. A shiny, silver badge that had the words Draco Malfoy, Head Boy gleamed as if it were made for him. Well it probably was. Ginny had to admit the summer had done Malfoy good. He seemed browner and his eyes were darker. His face was no longer pointy and pale, but almost manly and handsome. Draco Malfoy was becoming a man, a very good looking man.

Malfoy stepped into the compartment; he looked all three girls up and down before smirking and stepping backwards.

"As you can see me, Draco Malfoy is Hogwarts new Head Boy so I took it as my duty to find the source of a horrific, high pitched screaming. I said to myself that sounds like those stupid little mudbloods" snarled Malfoy.

Ginny glared at him and Malfoy smirked right back at her. She was about to tell him off when a small sob turned her attention back to Janet, who had sat onto the chair and had her face in her hands.

"Draco Malfoy!" cried Madison. Malfoy looked at her with a bored expression. "You are a piece of shit! Go away right now!" Malfoy's bored look immediately changed to shock.

"Miss Greengrass such language will cost you house points before you even reach Hogwarts." He raised his eyebrows and Maddie snorted.

"You may think your king of the world, but your not and never will be!" screamed Maddie. Ginny took a step back and kneeled down beside Janet. Maddie reached foreword and pushed Malfoy out of the compartment, she then slammed the doors shut and kicked it angrily before flopping onto the seat and huffing. Ginny looked at her with a mix of confusion and shock. "What?" Maddie asked innocently.

"You know what?" Janet said raising her head. He face was red and tears filled her eyes. "He called us all mudbloods. And you two a purebloods."

They all exchanged wide eyed looks before breaking into another round of giggles. Suddenly the doors re-opened with an echoing crash. The girls all turned to him shocked at first but then they stood and faced him. He wasn't alone this time, now he companied by the other Slytherin seventh years with him. Ginny knew each of their faces, their names, their whole life stories even, she knew everything about Slytherin.

The boy on Malfoy's right, a black haired boy with defined facial features, was Blaise Zabini. He was basically a blonde version of Malfoy just not as rich and Blaise was a little nicer. The boy to Malfoy's left was Thomas Nott. Thomas had a hollow faced boy. He had light eyes and was fairly tall. His hair was orange and he looked like he was made from the left overs of other people. He really scared Ginny. He also had no eyebrows and always had an angry look plastered to his face. The two at the back of the group were indeed Crabbe and Goyle who looked the same as ever, just larger. All in all they were a scary bunch, those Slytherins. They were the most feared gang in the school and they practically ruled it.

"Yes boys?" Ginny asked sweetly. All eyes went to her and she smiled. "Malfoy I would like to point out a small mistake you made earlier." Malfoy frowned. "Well you said something about us three-" she motioned towards herself, Janet and Madison "-being Muggle-born and only one of us is. And you also pointed out that you talk to yourself." Madison and Janet laughed from behind her. Malfoy looked at her with the strangest look ever, as if he was trying not to smile and when he did Ginny's heart did a series of back flips and seemed to burst from inside her. Draco Malfoy had the hottest smile ever. Ginny couldn't explain it. His teeth were so straight and his eyes seemed to sparkle, Ginny immediately had the urge to make him happy more often. She gave a quick glance to Janet who looked like she was going to faint. Madison looked bored.

"Very good Vigina," Malfoy said with a smirk. The rest of the group burst out laughing. "I couldn't imagine having such a name, tell me Vigina couldn't your family afford a better name for you?"

"It's Virginia you stupid, evil sack of cock shit!" snapped Ginny, surprised at her own use of words. Malfoy looked taken a back. Then he did something that was both brilliant and completely uncalled for. He stepped forwards, held up his hand so his gang would stop laughing and grabbed Ginny's shoulders and kissed her.

As soon as he lips touched hers Ginny's hands went straight to his chest and pushed him back. But instead of looking to Malfoy her eyes instantly went to a rather red with rage Ron.