The Claiming

Chapter Four Cover Art by Akiko Meigetsu.

Chapter Four - An End and A Beginning

Ginny shrieked as the floppy straw hat she had been wearing to keep her curls under control was ripped from her head by a sudden gust of wind and went sailing into the sky above the Burrow.

"I'll get it," called Draco, who had leapt to his feet and was already halfway to his broom. Mounting it easily, he soared effortlessly after the errant piece of haberdashery.

Ginny sighed crossly and pulled her summer cloak around her more tightly. She would have been more grateful to Draco for fetching her hat for her, if she hadn't been well aware that he was more interested in showing off on his broom than in being gallant. He never passed up an opportunity to zoom around on the blasted thing.

In any event, she wouldn't have lost her hat in the first place if it hadn't been for him and his utter stubbornness. He knew as well as anyone that not every summer day in the British Isles was balmy and sunny - not by a long shot - and on this particular day, any sensible person would have been inside. But Draco was not sensible; he was stubborn. He flatly refused to spend time inside the Burrow if he could find the narrowest of excuses to avoid it, and today, he had insisted that the near gale-force winds were "bracing" and declared a firm affection for fresh (albeit rapidly moving) air.

Ginny grinned maliciously as the hat was caught in a sudden updraft just as Draco was inches from catching it. The hat led him on a merry chase around the chimneys and spires of the Burrow, and, more than once, he was nearly impaled on the roof for taking a turn too suddenly. Finally, he outstripped the wind and subdued the hat. He took a quick victory lap around the Burrow before leaning low over his broom handle and streaking toward Ginny, a triumphant grin on his face. You'd think he just caught the Snitch at the Quidditch World Cup, Ginny thought affectionately. The poor boy definitely needs more excitement in his life.

At this, a pang of remorse shot through Ginny's heart, for she knew she was about to create some excitement for him, but not of the fun variety. It had been a week since she had overheard Ron and Harry talking about her in the living room, and while she had seen Draco several times since then, she had been unable to bring herself to discuss it with him. Their romantic relationship may have been illusory, but she was surprised to discover that she had grown genuinely fond of Draco, and she found she really didn't want to hurt him. Not that she supposed for a moment that he was in love with her - but there was no denying that he was different when he was with her. He was funny, and relaxed, and - happy. Yes, that was it. Draco seemed happy when they were together.

And now she was about to ruin it all.

Draco had landed and was walking toward her, smiling, hat in hand. The sky was an ominous, murky grey - almost brown. Clearly an intense summer storm was in the making. Well, I suppose this is as good a time as any, Ginny reflected wryly, seeing as we'll soon be soaked and miserable.

She accepted the hat with a wan smile and Draco sat beside her. Together they leaned back against a large tree behind the Burrow.

"So, I was thinking," Draco began in a business-like tone, "there's only a week left before school starts up again so we had better try and orchestrate some more chances for Potter to see -" Ginny held up a hand to silence him.

"Draco," she said hesitantly, unsure how to begin. "Look, Draco, don't bother about that right now. We've got to talk."

Draco looked at her in surprise. "I was talking," he pointed out, with some asperity. "You cut me off."

Ginny sighed. This wasn't going to be easy. "We need to talk about something else. Draco, it's not working."

"Of course it is," he continued in blithe ignorance. "You've seen yourself how he glowers whenever he sees us together. It's eating him up."

"No," Ginny said quietly.

Draco's smile faded as he took in Ginny's sad eyes, drooping mouth, and lackluster spirit. "What do you mean, 'no'?" he demanded. "What do you know that you aren't telling me?"

"Draco, I - I overheard Harry and Ron talking earlier," the words began to tumble out and Ginny couldn't hold them in long enough to find a tactful way to frame them. "You're a git and I'm Harry's sister and he won't kiss me!" she ended on a half-sob.

Draco looked flabbergasted. "Right. Could you maybe try explaining that to me once more, in a language other than Hysterical Girl?"

Ginny smiled weakly and sniffled before explaining. "I'm sorry. That didn't come out well. What I meant to say was that Harry is not jealous of us. Not jealous of you. Not jealous of me. Simply not jealous. Period. He still thinks you're a creep and he thinks of me as his own sister and is repulsed by the idea of dating me. So it's absolutely hopeless. There's no point in us going on like this."

Draco laughed condescendingly as he patted Ginny on the shoulder. "There, there. Do you always get this hysterical over minor setbacks?" he asked. "I didn't expect that this would happen instantly. We'll just have to restrategise, that's all. We need more aggressive tactics. I had hoped we could wrap it all up this summer, but I suppose I will simply have to return to school and admit to the other Slytherins that you are my girlfriend until -"

"I'm not returning to school, Draco," Ginny interrupted. "At least not to Hogwarts. And not this year."

"Excuse me?" Draco asked huffily. "If you think I'm going to publicly acknowledge dating a dropout -"

"I'm going to Beauxbatons, Draco. I'm spending all year there as an exchange student. So you see, this had to happen this summer, or not at all."

Draco looked stunned. "Beauxbatons?" he repeated stupidly. He lifted one slim eyebrow and continued archly, "Don't you think this was information you might have shared?"

"Why should I have?" Ginny replied, suddenly bitter. "You never thought to ask me anything about my life or my plans. It was always about you - or about Harry. You didn't even bother to get to know me, and you certainly didn't love me, so I don't see why you're even trying to hold on to this."

"I could have loved you," Draco protested.

"Bollocks," Ginny replied rudely. "We've been supposedly dating all summer, and what have we done together? We went to the lake. We flew around the backyard. We climbed in the quarry. You seem to be quite the outdoorsman, Draco," she observed sarcastically. "What happened to being concerned about your pale skin?"

Draco's eyes shifted away guiltily.

"Why haven't you ever once taken me someplace indoors, someplace public?" Ginny continued. "We haven't gone out to dinner, we haven't gone to the Three Broomsticks, we haven't gone to a Quidditch match, we haven't gone anywhere where we'd be seen by people. You're ashamed of me, Draco Malfoy! Maybe if I were rich, you could bear being seen with me, but don't bloody well try to tell me you loved me. You can't even stand to set foot inside my house! I can't imagine how you've explained your absences to your mother this summer. Surely you didn't admit to her that you'd been spending all your time with a Weasley."

Draco looked outraged. For a moment, Ginny was afraid he was going to hit her. Then, incredibly, the familiar smirk began to tug at the corner of his mouth. "Leprechauns," he said.

"Excuse me?" Ginny asked, nonplussed.

Draco was laughing glumly now. "I told her I had captured a leprechaun and I was spending the summer torturing it until it told me how to make leprechaun gold so I could use counterfeit to buy all my supplies this year."

Ginny stared in disbelief. "You actually told your moher that?"

Draco nodded helplessly. "I couldn't think of anything else on short notice. And now I'm going to have to figure out how to pay for all my supplies as she's not giving me any spending money. She thought it was an admirable project."

Ginny smiled reluctantly. "That wasn't worthy of you, Draco," she said softly.

Draco looked at her in surprise. "What? Lying to my parents? I have to, to survive," he protested.

Ginny laughed. "No," she said. "That story. You could have done better. 'Leprechauns!'" she snorted.

Draco grinned. "Maybe dragons would have been better?"

"Decidedly." Ginny agreed solemnly. "Seriously though, Draco, I think it's time to end this."

Draco nodded. "I suppose you're right. But for what it's worth, I won't forget you."

"I won't forget you either." Ginny grinned mischievously as she leaned in close to Draco's ear, "You were the best I ever had," she breathed in a sultry voice with a wicked gleam in her eye.

"I was the only you ever - hold on! We never even -" Draco sputtered.

"Well, there is that," Ginny admitted, then grinned impishly. "Don't worry, Draco, I'll send you regular updates by owl."

At that, Draco laughed in earnest. It was the most uninhibited sound Ginny had ever heard from him. "You'd better at that. I'll need fuel to feed my sophomoric fantasies, won't I?"

Ginny grinned and swatted at him playfully. "You are utterly incorrigible," she said. She stood and held out her hand to shake. "Friends?"

Draco stood, grasped the proffered hand, pulled hard, and caught Ginny as she fell, startled, into his arms. He held her tight and kissed her. It was a deep kiss, long, passionate, and hungry. She dimly heard a clap of thunder above her (or was that the blood pounding in her head?) before the deluge started. She barely even felt the cold water hitting her. When he set Ginny back on her feet, she was dizzy, reeling, and soaked through, her hair clinging damply to her neck and her cloak molded to her form. "Friends," he agreed equably. He looked thoughtful as he slowly released Ginny. "You know," he said absently, as though he'd forgotten Ginny was there, "I can't quite recollect that I've ever had a proper friend."

Ginny smiled tenderly. "I'm glad we're friends," she said simply. "Goodbye, Draco." She turned to enter the Burrow and left him standing there, rain washing over his handsome features and his water-logged silvery-blond locks falling down to cover his eyes.

***

As Ginny entered the living room, she saw Harry and Ron standing near the large picture window that looked out over the backyard. Both boys were studiously avoiding her eyes, and Harry seemed to be inordinately interested in a bit of thread that was unraveling from the curtain.

Ginny caught Ron's eye and met his uncomfortable gaze evenly. "What?" she asked defensively.

Ron squirmed for a moment then burst out, "Merlin, Ginny! Do you have to swallow his tongue right in front of the window? We were just trying to watch the storm and - I mean, it's a bit - well, really -" he faltered.

"You don't have to worry about it anymore, Ron. We split up," Ginny replied heavily.

"Good!" Ron exclaimed.

"The bastard!" Harry yelled at the same time.

They both smiled sheepishly at Ginny, but Harry was the first to recover. "Look, Gin, you know we were never very keen on you dating that tosser, but if he's hurt you and you want me to remove any of his vital organs -"

Ginny smiled serenely and put her hand on Harry's arm. "That's sweet, Harry, but I don't need a bespectacled avenger - or any other kind for that matter. I broke it off with him. I'm going away in a week for a whole year and -" she looked steadily into Harry's eyes and smiled gently, "- and I don't need to be involved in any romances right now."

"So does this mean we can go back to insulting Malfoy around you then?" Ron asked hopefully.

Ginny snorted in disbelief. "I wasn't aware that you had ever stopped," she replied teasingly and retreated to her room to shower and change.

***

Ginny walked somewhat unsteadily across the giant forty-foot long lounge-car of the Wuzzle as it sped through the water separating England and France. Even now, she smiled to herself whenever she thought about the name - "Wuzzle". It sounded so silly; yet she supposed it didn't sound any sillier than "Chunnel," which she had heard was what the Muggles called their Channel Tunnel. At least this Wizarding Tunnel came with its own conveyance vehicle, which sped through a clear tunnel so that the passengers could look into the water as they traveled, if so inclined. She supposed they could have adopted the utilitarian French name for the Wuzzle - the Boîte à Grande Vitesse - but somehow public transportation device called the Very Fast Box seemed vaguely vulgar to her and an even bigger problem than "Wuzzle" as naming conventions went.

She had never been on the Wuzzle before, and she found it fascinating at the same time that it made her slightly queasy. She knew that the underwater tunnel had been reinforced by the strongest charms. She knew that there were anti-Muggle charms along every inch of it to keep submarines and scuba divers away. She knew that in its 300-year history, there had never been an accident. But still, the thought of all those tonnes of water pressing in on her from every direction as the two conjoined cars of the Wuzzle shot through the water at an alarming speed left her feeling uneasy.

Still, Ginny was not among the faint-of-heart. Resolutely, she left the windowless first car, with its rows of bookcases and coffeehouse ambiance, and pressed through the doorway into the second car, looking for a vacant compartment in which to sit. This car was longer than the first, and was broken into multiple compartments, rather like a train, each one featuring a window that allowed the passengers to look out into the water as they raced away from the cliffs of Dover.

Her last week at home and departure from her family had passed in a blur. Continually over the last week of summer break, Ginny had found herself looking out the window, half-expecting to see Malfoy landing by the kitchen door on his Lightning Strike. But he never came. She had known he wouldn't, really. But it was difficult to stop the expectation all the same. His arrival had become so usual, so comfortable. She had found that she missed him, but knew better than to try contacting him.

On the plus side, she had seen more of Harry with Draco gone, but as the time of her departure had approached, she had begun to see him, too, as someone who was fading out of her life. She supposed she would always love Harry, but she had been far too excited about the upcoming trip to spend much time mooning over him, and she was, above all, a pragmatist. She knew there was no hope for a relationship while she was gone; it was better to just enjoy her last week at home and not waste time lamenting a love that never was.

Taking leave of her family at Dover had been a tearful affair on their part - a glorious one on hers. While she would miss her family and had felt vaguely guilty for causing them pain (how did they do that?), she had been itching to board the Wuzzle and begin this exciting adventure on her own.

Now, halfway along the corridor, Ginny peeked in an open compartment door and saw a familiar dark head peering out the window. Parvati? she thought, confused. No, don't be stupid, she admonished herself. You would have heard if a fellow Gryffindor was spending the year at Beauxbatons as well. This must be Padma. She entered the compartment shyly. "Um, hi...Padma? Do you mind if I sit here?" She indicated the empty bench facing the other girl's.

The girl looked up at Ginny in surprise. "Ginny Weasley!" she exclaimed, smiling. "I almost didn't recognise you. It has been all summer and I did not know you were coming!"

Ginny laughed. "I suppose I had a bit of an advantage over you. I saw you before you saw me and I thought you were Parvati at first because you look so much alike."

Padma grimaced. "Don't I know it? You would not believe how annoying it is to always be defined by who your sister is because you 'look just alike'. Yet people still say she is the pretty one! How can that be?"

Ginny laughed sympathetically. "You'd be surprised," she said. "Everyone looks at me and says 'red hair - must be a Weasley'. I know I'm not very dramatic; I'm not Harry Potter's best friend, I don't work with dragons, I'm not a wildly popular practical joking twin, but once in a while it would be nice if someone knew me for me, not for my family."

"But you were kidnapped by a basilisk and rescued by Harry Potter, were you not? I would say that qualifies as drama." She smiled encouragingly at Ginny.

Ginny smiled back. "Oh, yes, I'm a famous victim. Hooray for me," she said drily. "It looks like we've both been defined by our families." There was a contemplative pause before Ginny continued. "So are you headed for Beauxbatons as well then?" she asked hopefully.

Padma grinned cheekily. "Mais bien sûr! Icould not pass up an opportunity to travel, learn about a whole new culture, take new classes, show off my French, and escape my sister's shadow, could I?"

"Definitely not," Ginny agreed. "I can't wait to escape my family's shadow myself. It's rather exciting, don't you think? Going to a new school where no one knows you? Starting fresh without any expectations? I only hope my French holds up," she finished nervously.

"Do not worry," Padma reassured her. "They would not have accepted you to the program if it was not good enough. Anyway, if push comes to shove, they all know English as well."

"True," admitted Ginny. "But I would feel a bit like a failure if I had to use it. Besides, isn't it a bit rude to go their country but expect them to use my language?"

Padma laughed. "That's sweet. I suppose it is, but do not worry. I am sure we will have enough rudeness at their hands to compensate."

Ginny looked at Padma in surprise. "Really? Whatever for?"

"Well," began Padma, warming up for some gossip, "I heard that Madame Maxime did not really want any foreign students coming to her school in the first place, but that Dumbledore talked her into it. I do not think they like us very much there in general, and I would not be surprised if the students are not happy to share their castle with us."

"Oh dear," said Ginny, worried. "I didn't know about that. I suppose we won't be the only exchanges there, but I'd hate to have to only be friends with other exchange students because the Beauxbatons students didn't like us."

Padma shrugged. "They cannot all be snobs. Anyway, some of those French boys who came for the tournament were really rather handsome! I am sure it will be fine." Ginny smiled at the other girl's assessment of what made things 'fine'. Padma leaned closer. "You are the only Weasley girl, aren't you?" she asked breathlessly.

Ginny nodded.

"Well," Padma continued in a conspiratorial whisper, "then you can answer my question. I heard a completely mad rumour over the summer that Draco Malfoy was dating a Weasley! Do you know anything about that? He is not actually gay, is he?"

Ginny choked as she tried to laugh and be outraged at the same time (why did she automatically assume I couldn't be the one who captured him?). "No!" she gasped, between coughs. "No, he's not gay. But the rumours are true - how do these things get out? - he and I were dating this summer."

Padma sat back and gave an excited little squeal, clearly impressed. "Wow. You were dating Draco Malfoy. What was it like? Why did you break up? Was he a good kisser? I want details!" She leaned forward confidentially and added, "He is so good-looking."

Ginny smiled a bit as she began to tell the story. She wasn't entirely sure Padma wasn't overstepping some unspoken rule of etiquette, but it was nice to have a friend on a journey to a strange new place, and it was fun to have someone's rapt attention for once.

***

"-and that was the last I saw of him," Ginny concluded.

Padma breathed out slowly, her pupils dilated. "So you dropped him?" Her eyes widened with excitement. "Wait till I owl everyone at Hogwarts about this - nobody will believe it! Imagine! Draco Malfoy dumped by his first girlfriend!"

Ginny gasped. "Oh, don't! Please," she begged. "He takes ridicule so badly and I couldn't bear -I mean, I didn't really drop him...it just didn't make sense -"

Padma eyed Ginny with dawning comprehension. "You were actually in love with him, weren't you? Why did you leave him then?"

"I -" Ginny began, flustered. "I wasn't. Not really. But I did care - say, aren't we slowing down?"

Padma grinned knowingly at Ginny's attempt to change the subject, but she let it go. "Yes, I do believe we are. We must be nearly to Mont Saint-Michel."

She had barely finished speaking before the girls felt the Wuzzle break the surface of the water and ran to the stairs to stand on top of their car and watch as they docked.

The isle of Mont Saint-Michel was beautiful, stately, impressive, and perfect for escaping the prying eyes of Muggles; when the tide was out, it was connected by a road to the mainland of France, but when the tide came back in, it was cut off entirely by the sea, forming a craggy monastery-topped island. The Wuzzle timed all its runs to arrive while the tide was in. This way, it could enter the secret sea cavern beneath the island and disembark its passengers while the Muggles were trapped on the mainland.

Ginny was delighted with this ingenious method of entering the country, and wished she could stay to explore the tiny isle, but a large carriage from Beauxbatons was already at the dock, waiting imperiously for them to board. Ginny grinned nervously at Padma and took a deep breath, "Are you ready for this?"

Padma swallowed nervously once, then shook it off and laughed gaily. "I have been dying for this! Let's go!"

Together they approached the large, powder blue carriage and knocked on the door. It opened on its own and they climbed breathlessly in and sat down next to each other. Looking at the occupant of the seat opposite them, they found themselves staring into a pair of startlingly beautiful blue eyes. Fleur Delacour.

"What are you doing here?" Ginny burst out before she could stop herself.

Fleur looked amused. "I teach Glamours at Beauxbatons. Do you know me? Oh, yes, you must 'ave been a leetle girl when I wuz at ze Tournament. You look very much like ze leetle boy 'oo wuz 'Arry Potter's 'ostage. Iz 'e your bruzzer?"

Ginny flushed hotly. "Yes. Ron is my brother. He'll be so flattered that you remembered," she said acidly. "You also dated my brother Bill, but I don't suppose you discussed family much. My name is Ginny. And this is Padma Patil," Ginny added pointedly.

Fleur glanced at Padma without much interest. "Yes, I wuz told zere would be two students from 'Ogwarts. We must be going now. We 'ave two more students to fetch in Tours and a long distance to travel today."

"Two more students? Where are they from?" Ginny inquired.

"America, I believe. Ze uzzer international students are meeting Madame Maxime in Marseille. Zey will meet you at Beauxbatons." Fleur waved her hand in a dismissive gesture before tapping the roof of the carriage to signal her readiness. As the great carriage began to move, she closed her eyes, discouraging any further conversation.

Ginny wished heartily that she could speak with Padma telepathically. She had a thing or two to say about Fleur's cavalier greeting, but as it was, she had to content herself with rolling her eyes at Padma eloquently before following Fleur's example and settling down for a nap.

***

Before she knew it, Ginny was awakened by the carriage landing softly and the door opening to admit two more students. A boy and a girl entered the carriage and sat down next to Fleur, facing Ginny and Padma. The boy was tall and lanky, with medium-brown hair and a warm smile. There was something very economical about the way he moved that reminded Ginny of someone, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it in her groggy state. The girl was of average height and build, but her looks were quite exotic. She wasn't from European stock, that much was obvious. She had waist-length dark brown hair, tanned skin, and large brown eyes. Ginny, who hated the attention her own blazing locks brought her, would have killed for that shining, yet so normally-coloured hair.

Ginny smiled timidly at the newcomers and the boy rewarded her with a broad grin and a handshake, "Bonjour, Mesdemoiselles! I'm Pierre Cardot and this here's Lehua Ka - well, Lehua something. Danged if I can pronounce it. I've come all the way from New Orleans - that's in America, you know - and I'm exhausted, but I think Lehua's had it worse! Where did you two lovely ladies come from? Are you excited about spending the year at Beauxbatons? Me, I can't wait. It'll be wildly different from my school back at home, and thank God for that! Whoops! I didn't even ask you your names. What are your names? You do speak English, right?"

Ginny and Padma exchanged glances before simultaneously bursting into giggles at this exuberant stranger.

Pierre looked abashed at their giggles, but Ginny recovered sufficiently to smile reassuringly at him before responding. "Yes, of course we speak English. We are English, or British, rather. We've come from Hogwarts. I'm Ginny, by the way, Ginny Weasley."

Pierre whistled. "Hogwarts. Is that right? I've heard it's a super school. Wish I could've gone there."

"Well, it depends on what you put into it, really," said Padma.

Pierre looked at Padma carefully, noting her serious expression. "And I'm betting you put plenty into it, don't you?"

Padma smiled at him, showing dimples, "Well, I work hard, yes. I would not be in this program otherwise. Not everyone at our school does though. I am Padma Patil, by the way." She held out her hand to shake.

Pierre took her hand and lifted it to his lips to kiss, "Enchanté." He winked at her and released her hand. Padma giggled and looked away, blushing. Ginny came to the rescue by addressing the other newcomer

"Did you say your name was Lehua? That's a pretty name. Where are you from?" Ginny asked.

Lehua smiled a little stiffly. "I didn't say. Pierre said. I haven't been able to get a word in edgewise for hours. My name is Lehua Kahakalau and I'm from Hawai'i." That explains the exotic colouring, then Ginny reflected. She probably looks quite average at home. "Sorry if I'm not as cheerful as Mr. Chatty here, but I have been traveling for nearly twenty-four hours."

Ginny smiled sympathetically and Pierre laughed out loud. "It's true," he confessed. "I haven't given her a chance to say much. I've just been so excited I can't keep it in. And I tend to talk too much when I'm excited. This whole thing has just been a whirlwind for me and I'm glad to be getting away from the Swamp for a year."

"The Swamp?" Ginny inquired.

"Do you live in a swamp?" asked Padma. "That sounds like a soggy existence."

Pierre laughed. Pierre seemed to laugh a lot, but Ginny found that it relaxed her and she appreciated it. "No, I don't live in a swamp. I live in the city. But my school is called "Le Marais Brumeux" and we all call it "The Swamp". Technically, it's in the middle of a bayou. Really keeps the Muggles out, but it nearly keeps us out, too! There's no solid land there, you see. The whole place is enchanted to keep afloat. We have to Apparate to even get there."

Ginny's eyes widened and Padma gasped. "But, how old are you?" Padma asked. "You cannot possibly be old enough to Apparate yet."

Pierre grinned. "Aw, don't let my youthful good looks fool you," he joked. "Actually, I'm sixteen. In America, you're supposed to be eighteen to Apparate, but we have to learn it a bit early at our school for practical reasons. The lower year students get brought to school by faculty, of course, but upper year students are taught to Apparate. Our school is a little -" he looked away, clearly uncomfortable, "a little unorthodox, I guess you could say. Our headmaster has heard from the Office of Underage Magical Delinquency more than once, believe you me."

Ginny tried to repress a grin. "So why did you want to leave? My older brothers Fred and George would kill to go to a school where they're taught to break rules."

Pierre laughed again. "Yeah, I can see how it would look like that," he sobered. "But that's really not what it's like. It's not a fun place. It's - well...to tell the truth, it's kinda scary. You see, we're not so much encouraged to break rules as commanded to learn certain things - whether we're ready for them or not. And, well, maybe I should have mentioned this - er - my school emphasizes Voodoo and Dark Magic. So I'll understand if you don't want to talk to me," he finished sheepishly.

"Don't be silly," Ginny exclaimed. "No one could hold your school's beliefs against you."

"Anyway," Padma added firmly, "there is nothing wrong with Voodoo per se. It is a very interesting cultural variant of magic. I have done a little reading on it before and, according to Voodoo or VooDon't, Voodoo is more a religious belief system than a collection of dark magic spells. Many of the Voodoo spells are quite beneficial and include charms for good luck, among other things. Like any magic, it is the intent of the wizard wielding it that determines if it is good or bad. Anyone who judges you for knowing Voodoo is a foolish, uneducated bigot," she concluded breathlessly, her eyes sparkling with fervor.

Pierre whistled lowly and looked Padma over from head to toe. "That was from 'a little reading'? I know people who've been raised to Voodoo who don't understand that. Some of my professors, for instance. Beautiful and brainy - I think I like you, gal," he said and flashed her a winning smile.

Padma smiled back warmly and Ginny laughed inwardly. Looks like those cute Beauxbatons boys are going to have some competition for Padma's heart, she thought.

"So how long have you three been magical?" Pierre asked innocently.

"What do you mean?" Ginny replied, confused.

"Well, have you always been witches?" Pierre said, trying to clarify.

"Well, yes, actually," said Ginny. "My whole family has been witches and wizards for generations back."

"So has mine," added Padma.

"And mine," chimed in Lehua, with a big yawn.

"Were you Muggle-born?" asked Padma.

"Um, yes," Pierre began uncomfortably. "I - I didn't know it was that rare -"

"Oh, it's not!" Padma quickly assured him. "There are heaps of Muggle-born witches and wizards. Many of them are really very good. All three of us just happen to be from wizarding families. You sounded so strange when you asked though - as though you had only just become a wizard a few moments ago. Surely you got a letter from your school as soon as you were old enough to attend?"

Pierre shook his head. "'Fraid not. You see, I wasn't magical when I was the right age to start school. My family are all Muggles and I was raised in a Muggle city. Until about a year ago, I was a Muggle. I didn't even know magic really existed. I thought it was just an excuse for groups of crazy man-hating women to get together and chant in the woods." (Ginny and Padma exchanged a confused glance). "Then, when I was fifteen, I, ah-" his voice trailed off uncertainly.

"Don't be ashamed," Ginny interjected. "Some people come to it later than others. There's a boy in my house at Hogwarts who barely made it in and he's still not very good - and his family's been wizards for ages!"

"But it wasn't that I didn't realize I had magic, I honestly didn't have any until -" Pierre began.

Fleur opened her eyes lazily, "Who cares what he ees? I am part Veela. Everyone 'as a strange background." She closed her eyes again. Ginny wondered briefly how much trouble she could get into for charming Fleur to stay asleep the rest of the trip.

"Not everyone," Padma said firmly. "I agree with Ginny, Pierre. People can be very prejudiced against wizards who are different in any way. Not everyone is lucky enough to come from a weird heritage that also makes them insanely beautiful," she said, shooting Fleur a dark look. "Of course, we are pretty open-minded, but still, it might be safest to get to know people before you share that kind of information as a rule of thumb."

Pierre nodded solemnly. "I'm beginning to see that. I didn't know...nobody at my old school cared."

They sank into an uncomfortable silence as the carriage flew south across France.

***

Hours later, Ginny woke with a start to find Pierre and Padma leaning close together and whispering while Lehua and Fleur continued to sleep. She yawned and smiled sleepily as they looked up at her. "I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to interrupt your conversation."

"Oh, you're not," Padma replied airily. "We were just talking quietly so we would not wake anyone. Did you know you are incredibly cute when you sleep?" she asked teasingly.

"Oh, yeah," Pierre added. "The drool hardly detracts from the cuteness at all." He grinned as Padma swatted playfully at him.

"We were just talking about Sorting, Ginny," Padma said. "What do you think the houses at Beauxbatons are like?"

"I don't know," Ginny replied thoughtfully. "I hadn't really considered it. Do you think they even have houses there? I hope we're in the same one! I'd hate to end up all by myself without anyone I know as soon as we get there."

Pierre laughed. "I wouldn't worry about that. I'm sure we can still be friends, even if we are sorted into different houses."

Ginny frowned as a new worry occurred to her. "What if they don't sort us at all?" she cried. "What if they just stick all the exchange students together in some kind of outcasts group for easier ridicule?"

Fleur laughed as she awoke again. "Zat will not happen to you, Ginny," she said. "Ze boys at Beauxbatons are not so stupeed as to reedicule a girl as preetty as you. Anyway," she continued, "Ze Claiming iz only for Beauxbatons students. You will join houses wiz ze roommates you are geeven."

"The Claiming?" asked Ginny. "What's that?"

"Shhhh," replied Fleur. "We 'ave arrived."

And they had. Ginny felt the soft bump as the carriage landed and then gasped as Fleur removed the charms obscuring the window and she got her first glimpse of Beauxbatons by the light of sunset.

***

Coming Soon

Chapter Five - Beauxbatons: In which Ginny understands vulgar French and chooses her classes.