Ginny Weasley and the Heir of Slytherin

The next Wednesday started off as planned with Ginny, her family and Harry all gathered around the fireplace in preparation for their departure to Diagon Alley. Ginny had visited Diagon Alley with her family every year for as long as she could remember, but it was still one of her favorite places in the world. However, she was looking forward to visiting the alley now mainly because it would bring her one step closer to becoming a full-fledged Hogwarts student.

As her mother gingerly took a flowerpot full of Floo Powder off the mantelpiece and remarked that they were running low, Ginny started to worry a little. What would happen if they couldn't afford everything they needed? Ginny tried to force herself to not think about that. We'll come through in the end, she told herself, We always do.

"Ah, well, guests first! After you, Harry dear!" Ginny's mother said as she offered the pot of Floo powder to Harry. To say Harry looked utterly bewildered would have been an understatement. Ginny really liked the expression on his face -- she found it funny and kind of cute -- cute in a way that made her want to throw her arms around him.

"W-what am I supposed to do?" he stammered pitifully.

"He's never traveled by Floo powder," Ron exclaimed. "Sorry, Harry, I forgot."

"Never?" their mother asked in astonishment. "But how did you get to Diagon Alley to buy your school things last year?"

"I went on the Underground --" Harry began.

"Really?" Ginny's father asked eagerly. "Were there escapators? How exactly --"

"Not now, Arthur," his wife interrupted. Ginny's father, who was fascinated by Muggles, had been hounding Harry with questions about what it was like living with them.

"Floo powder a lot quicker, dear," Ginny's mother told Harry, "but goodness me, if you've never used it before --"

"He'll be all right, Mum," Fred said confidently. "Harry, watch us first." He then promptly demonstrated how to take a handful of Floo powder, throw it into the fire causing it to turn green, step into the flames and say the name of your destination.

Watching Fred vanishing in a flash made Harry look nervous in a way Ginny found rather adorable. She was really enjoying watching him and fortunately for her his attention was so entirely focused on his Floo powder dilemma that she didn't have to worry about him noticing her. Being around to see Harry the first time he learned about Floo powder made Ginny feel a bit privileged -- she wished she could have seen him the first time he learned he was a wizard.

"You must speak clearly, dear," Ginny's mother told Harry. "And be sure to get out at the right grate..."

"The right what?" asked Harry as George followed his twin into the fire.

"Well, there are an awful lot of wizard fires to choose from, you know," Ginny's mother continued, "but as long as you've spoken clearly --"

"He'll be fine, Molly, don't fuss," her husband said as he took some Floo powder himself.

"But, dear, if he got lost, how would we ever explain to his aunt and uncle?"

"They wouldn't mind," Harry responded darkly. "Dudley would think it was a brilliant joke if I got lost up a chimney, don't worry about that --" Harry often joked about his unpleasant relatives like this, but it always made Ginny feel sad. If only he knew how sorry she felt for him...

"Well... all right... you go after Arthur," Ginny's mother eventually told Harry. "Now, when you get into the fire, say where you're going --"

"And keep your elbows tucked in," Ron added.

"And your eyes shut. The soot --"

"Don't fidget or you might well fall out of the wrong fireplace --"

"But don't panic and get out too early; wait until you see Fred and George."

Ginny wanted to add something too -- even a simple "good luck" would have sufficed -- but she still couldn't make herself speak. It was a shame -- Harry really looked like he needed luck. Maybe even a hug...

Harry took a deep breath and scattered Floo powder in the fire. After the flames turned emerald, he stepped in the fire.

"D-Dia-gon Alley," he choked before disappearing.

Ginny's heart leapt. What if he hadn't said the alley's name clearly enough and he ended up in the wrong place? But then again how many places were there whose name was closer to "D-Dia-gon Alley" than Diagon Alley?

"Do you suppose he got sent to the wrong place?" Ginny's mother asked nervously.

"I think he said it well enough," Ginny answered, trying to sound confident this was true.

"I'd better go next just to make sure," Ginny's mother responded. She climbed into the fire and was wiped out of sight in the flames, leaving Percy, Ron and Ginny alone. Up until last year, Ginny had always gone through with her mother, but she had convinced her mother to let her go on her own last year after an argument in which her two least favorite words of the entire English language ("too young") had been used frequently.

"Okay," Percy said in his most authoritative voice, "Ginny goes next and then Ron."

Ginny obediently took some Floo powder, and stepped into the fire, which felt like a warm breeze.

"Diagon Alley!" she said, making very sure she spoke as clearly as possible. With Harry having possibly been sent to the wrong place, it was not a great time for Ginny to demonstrate she couldn't handle Floo powder.

The by now familiar sensation of spinning came over her. She was used to the roaring in her ears and the dizziness, but that did not make it particularly enjoyable. She tucked her elbows in and closed her eyes, trying to concentrate on not falling through the wrong grate. She was not afraid of getting lost, but of losing the privilege to travel on her own. But if she panicked, she might fall through the wrong grate. Trying to remain calm and concentrate on not fidgeting, she couldn't allow herself to think about anything else. She desperately wanted it to stop, but she mustn't think about that, lest she lose her concentration. It was such a relief to hit the end of it all.

But then something grabbed her and squeezed her so tight she could scarcely breath! It took her a moment to realize it was her mother, giving her a very tight hug.

"I've been so worried!" she said as though Ginny had been missing for months and had just wandered casually in the door. "I was just worrying what would've happened if we'd lost you, too."

Ginny's mother let go of her and looked frantic. Ginny, on the other hand, didn't let herself panic even though she could tell something was wrong.

"So Harry didn't make it through then?" she asked. Her mother nodded.

"He could be anywhere," she panicked, looking around as though expecting to see him standing in a corner waving merrily at them.

Strangely, Ginny didn't even need to try and stop herself from panicking -- she simply wasn't worried at all. Why? She really liked Harry and she might never see him again. She was certain there was a real possibility of him dying, but it didn't seem to bother her at all. Perhaps it was because she had never worried about getting lost herself or because she thought Harry could handle it. Furthermore, there was some kind of brake in her mind that told her Harry couldn't die.

He just couldn't.

* * *

Diagon Alley was lined with the best wizarding shops in the world -- shops that sold spell books, wands, broomsticks and other magical instruments. Ginny would have loved to go around and browse through them, but there was no possibility that she would be allowed to do that now. Molly Weasley was in "worry mode" as Ginny privately called it and she wasn't going to let Ginny out of her sight for a second. As they walked down the alley searching for Harry, Ginny knew she would have to stay close to her mother if she wanted to make her day halfway enjoyable. At the moment, she would have much rather been with her father and brothers, who were searching separately.

While her mother imagined the most horrible places that Harry might have ended up, Ginny followed her down the cobblestoned street, wishing she could be doing something more interesting and feeling a little guilty that she wasn't more worried about Harry. Why should she be worried anyway? Worrying wouldn't change anything, after all.

As the wizarding bank Gringotts came into view, Ginny saw the rest of her family waiting beside the beautiful marble building, but they weren't alone -- Harry was with them and he was accompanied by two people. Though Ginny had never seen either of them before, she recognized both of them instantly. The man who was almost ten feet tall with a black beard and wild look about him could only be Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper. After Ron had made her swear to never mention it, he had told her about how Hagrid had tried to raise a baby dragon in his cabin and christened him Norbert.

"However," Ron had said, "Hagrid's giant three-headed dog make Norbert look like an angel. And do you know what he named that dog? -- Fluffy!"

Ginny was surprised how quickly she recognized the girl with them as she looked very ordinary with bushy brown hair and rather large front teeth. However, there was still no doubt in Ginny's mind that this girl was Hermione Granger. Ginny didn't know how she could tell it was her, but there an aura around the girl that made her seem -- there was simply no other word for it -- "Hermione-ish".

Ginny's mother ran to meet Harry and the others so fast, Ginny had to cling onto her arm to avoid falling behind. Now that she was closer, Ginny could see that Harry was covered in bruises and soot, but she had to admit that scruffiness was attractive in its own way, at least to her. She wanted to hug him -- he looked so forlorn -- but she couldn't have made herself smile at him. Instead, she ended up staring blankly at him.

Sometimes, she just hated herself.

As everyone went on talking, Ginny stood in silence as she always did whenever Harry was around. It turned out he had come out in Knockturn Alley, an adjoining alleyway dedicated to the Dark Arts which had always been forbidden to Ginny and her brothers. However, Ginny didn't need that ban to keep her out -- when her father had had to go into Knockturn Alley for business once, he had been nervous!

"See yer at Hogwarts!" Hagrid said before he strode away.

"Guess who I saw in Borgin and Burkes?" Harry asked Ron and Hermione as they entered Gringotts. Ginny turned to listen. Maybe she didn't want to go into Knockturn Alley, but that didn't go for hearing a story from somebody who had. "Malfoy and his father."

"Did Lucius Malfoy buy anything?" Ginny's father asked sharply.

"No, he was selling --" said Harry.

"So he's worried," Ginny's father answered with a satisfied smile. "Oh, I'd love to get Lucius Malfoy for something..."

Although she had never met any of them, Ginny knew the Malfoys were a family of Dark wizards. Lucius Malfoy worked at the Ministry of Magic and had served You-Know-Who as a Death Eater during his reign of terror. However, Mr. Malfoy turned back to the good side with You-Know-Who's defeat saying he'd been bewitched, but Ginny's father didn't believe that. Mr. Malfoy's son Draco was a student at Hogwarts, where he was mutual enemies with Harry, Ron and Hermione.

As they went through the silver door with the poem Ginny had always liked about "finding more than treasure" written on it, she tried not to think about the time last year when they had practically emptied their vault for Ron's books and robes. She walked closer to Harry. Maybe if she was close enough to him, she could "accidentally" brush her fingers against his hand. Then she suddenly remembered how she had wished she had gotten a better look at his hands and quickly gave them a glance. It wasn't enough -- she wanted to take his hand and squeeze it tightly. Then they could skip towards the front desk together, joined by their hands.

By the time their Gringotts cart reached the underground Weasley vault, Ginny was imagining what their wedding might be like. As she climbed out of the cart, she tried to remain focused on this fantasy and not think about what would be left in there for her. However, her worst fears were confirmed when they found a small pile of silver Sickles, and one golden Galleon inside the vault. Ginny's mother felt around in the corners, before packing all of them into her bag. Not even Fred or George could think of anything to say to lessen the tension.

When they reached Harry's vault, they were greeted by a very different sight. Harry had more money then Ginny had ever seen put together (which, unfortunately, didn't say much.) Harry clearly felt very bad about this, but it couldn't be anything compared to how Ginny felt. She was dreading that they might not be able to buy enough supplies for her. Forget secondhand, she was worried they might not be able to afford some things at all. What would happen if she couldn't get all the supplies she needed? Would they still let her go to Hogwarts?

Ginny was not feeling very well when they exited Gringotts. While the others went their separate ways, Ginny was taken shopping by her mother. She had visited Diagon Alley before, but never had they shopped for her. The prospect was even worth spending the day with her overprotective mother. Since they had so little money, Ginny thought they probably should purchase the most important supplies first. The most important thing of all would be a wand, of course, and then probably books. Ginny's mother apparently didn't share this view, and led her to a secondhand robe shop.

"We'll all meet at Flourish and Blotts in an hour to buy your schoolbooks," Ginny's mother said to the others. "And not one step down Knockturn Alley!"

Ginny and her mother couldn't find robes that fit her exactly, so they settled on ones that were slightly too big as it would therefore be longer before she was too big for them. As they bought them, her mother commented on how fast she was growing. If Ginny was growing so fast, why did people still think of her as a helpless little girl? Why didn't her mother recognize how old she was now?

They could barely afford a telescope, but they got a wand from an old warlock who was selling secondhand wands for very low prices. There wasn't a lot of choice, but there were worries that they might not even work any more. Ginny got a wand that was almost in good quality. She didn't like it very much and thought it looked really ugly, but didn't mention this. She had been looking forward to owning a wand, and it didn't feel at all the way she hoped it would. She felt subdued and worthless, but said nothing.

As her mother probed a dingy shop to try and find the cheapest cauldron they sold, Ginny sat on a nearby bench, her arms and legs crossed. In fact, she felt rather cross. All the fun of shopping had been sucked out of it by their financial situation. It made a small part of Ginny want to just give up and go home to cry in her room. It wasn't that she especially wanted all the fanciest, newest stuff -- she just wished she didn't to have to settle for the cheapest of the cheap.

"Hi, there," a small female voice said suddenly. Ginny looked up to see an Asian girl about her own age. She had braided hair and was wearing jeans, a T-shirt and a wide smile.

"Hi," Ginny replied in a tone which clearly conveyed how she felt. "Who are you?" she added when it became clear the smiling girl was not planning on going away.

"Well, my proper name's Kim Seong," the girl answered eagerly as though Ginny were dying to hear this, "but everyone calls me 'Kimmy'. My parents called me that when I was little and it stuck. What's your name?"

"Ginny Weasley," Ginny said shortly.

"I take it you're starting Hogwarts too," Kimmy said, to which Ginny nodded an affirmative. "Did you know you were a witch before you got the letter?"

"Only for eleven years," Ginny said brightly.

"I see you have a sense of humor," said Kimmy, smiling good-naturedly. Ginny noted that this Kimmy seemed to be quite a happy person -- maybe even too happy.

"Yeah," Ginny replied when she was unable to think of anything witty to say.

"So, your family's magical then?" Kimmy asked her.

"Yeah," Ginny answered dully.

"Mine isn't," Kimmy told her brightly. "My parents are both Muggles."

"Right," Ginny said. "You know, you, uh, shouldn't go around just talking about that," she added. "There are loads of Dark wizards who hate Muggle-borns."

"You mean like that 'You-Know-Who' I keep hearing about?" Kimmy asked in a rather small voice.

"Yeah," Ginny said tonelessly, "like him."

After Kimmy Seong went on her way, Ginny and her mother headed to Flourish and Blotts. After arriving at the bookstore, Ginny looked up to see a banner stretched across the upper windows declaring that Gilderoy Lockhart would be signing copies of his autobiography Magical Me that afternoon. Based on the times listed, Lockhart would be arriving very shortly.

"With Gilderoy Lockhart there, there'll be loads of people trying to get autographed copies of his books," Ginny pointed out. "Maybe we should come back later when it'll be less crowded."

"No, no, we promised the others we'd met them here," her mother said quickly, looking just a little too enthusiastically at the banner. Maybe her brothers were right about their mother's interest in Lockhart, but Ginny wouldn't let herself believe it. Her mother was a married woman, after all.

With the purchase of all her regular schoolbooks, Ginny begun to feel confident that they were going to make it, but then she remembered they still had to buy five sets Lockhart's books. The amount of people in Flourish and Blotts increased considerably over the course of the next fifteen minutes or so. Ginny's mother insisted they get in line to see Gilderoy Lockhart and, when Ginny pointed out they wouldn't be able to afford an autographed copy of Magical Me, she said she simply wanted to see him.

"He's one of the most famous wizards in the world," her mother told her. "This could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

"Harry's even more famous and you didn't let me go on the train to see him last year," Ginny argued, but her mother wasn't listening. It wasn't that Ginny didn't like Lockhart or anything -- it just seemed rather pointless to waste so much time to get a glimpse of a famous wizard.

Suddenly a thought hit Ginny that made her grin to herself. At the end of the last school year, Ginny's mother had chastised her for pointing at Harry when he was getting off the Hogwarts Express, telling her it was rude. She still felt a bit bitter about this as she was quite certain Harry had been within earshot. She now wished that her mother would point at Lockhart when he appeared, giving Ginny the opportunity to say, "Mum, it's rude to point." She would have just loved that.

The others arrived just as the man slowly came into view, seated behind a table and surrounded by pictures of himself. Gilderoy Lockhart looked exactly like he did on the covers of his books and all his pictures were winking at the crowd. He had wavy blond hair and eyes that perfectly matched his forget-me-not blue robes. Much to Ginny's disappointment her mother did not point at him, but she was still clearly enamored. Ginny couldn't believe it -- her mother was married -- married with children, including Ginny herself! How could her mother even think about another man that way while she had Ginny and her brothers to worry about?

But what was the worst that could happen? Ginny certainly couldn't see her mother getting a divorce and eloping with Gilderoy Lockhart. It still seemed very insensitive, though.

"Out of the way, there. This is for the Daily Prophet --" a harsh voice said suddenly. It was a stocky photographer Lockhart was posing for.

"Big deal," Ron said huffily. Gilderoy Lockhart heard Ron and looked up. Lockhart's eyes rather quickly settled on Harry.

"It can't be Harry Potter?"

Even Gilderoy Lockhart was excited about meeting Harry Potter. It made Ginny feel a bit lucky and important just be the sister of Harry Potter's best friend, but it also made her feel guilty that she still hadn't managed to even speak to him. What was it like for Harry? Did he feel lucky or important at all? Did he feel overwhelmed by all the attention? Based on the expression on Harry's face as Lockhart, smiling cheerfully, pulled him up front and begun shaking his hand, the latter seemed more than likely. In fact, Harry's face had turned red. He was embarrassed -- just like she always was!

"Nice big smile, Harry," said Lockhart, apparently not noticing Harry wasn't enjoying this. "Together you and I are worth the front page." Lockhart didn't care that Harry wasn't enjoying himself -- he just wanted to sell more copies of his books. But Harry didn't want fame or anything like that -- he just wanted to be loved. Perhaps loved by someone like Ginny...

After Lockhart let go of Harry's hand, Harry tried to slip away, but Lockhart grasped him around the shoulders and pulled him to his side. Harry grew more annoyed by the second, and as his annoyance grew, so did Ginny's opinion of him. Meanwhile, her opinion of Lockhart was sinking at the same rate.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Lockhart said in a voice Ginny suddenly hated, "what an extraordinary moment this is! The perfect moment for me to make a little announcement I have been sitting on for some time! When young Harry stepped into Flourish and Blotts today, he only wanted to buy a copy of my autobiography -- which I shall be happy to present him now, free of charge." The crowd, apparently completely oblivious to Harry's feelings, applauded.

"He had no idea that he would shortly be getting much, much more than my book, Magical Me. He and his schoolmates will, in fact, be getting the real magical me. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have great pleasure in announcing that this September, I will be taking up the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"

The crowd cheered, the very last thing Ginny felt like doing. This egomaniac was going to teach them? Ron seemed to feel much the way she did, but Hermione was staring at Lockhart as though all her dreams had just come true. Ginny resisted the temptation to snap her fingers in Hermione's face. In fact, all the women and girls she could see seemed to be infatuated with Lockhart! Was Ginny the only female immune to the so-called "charm" of that horrible git?

Harry, meanwhile, was presented with all of Lockhart's books. He escaped from the grasp of the real thing and, to Ginny's surprise, tipped the books into her own cauldron.

"You have these," he mumbled, "I'll buy my own --"

If Ginny could have possibly liked Harry any more than she already did, she certainly would have. He was so noble, so generous, so perfect -- far more perfect than Gilderoy Lockhart would ever be. Harry had given his books to her even though she was nothing to him. Lockhart would never give things away unless it was to someone famous like Harry.

"Bet you loved that, didn't you, Potter?" said a pale boy with blond hair Ginny had never seen before. She knew instantly, however, who it must be.

"Famous Harry Potter," Draco Malfoy sneered. "Can't even go into a bookshop without making the front page."

"Leave him alone, he didn't want all that!" Ginny said without even thinking.

"Potter, you've got yourself a girlfriend!" Malfoy responded as though Ginny weren't even there. It was only when these words caused her to blush that she suddenly realized she had just spoken in front of Harry for the first time.

Just as Ginny's father tried to lead them all outside, the most imposing person Ginny had ever seen came into view. Ginny also knew who he was since he had the same pale, pointed face as his son. He had two identical cold gray eyes and looked ready to kill. Ginny's father turned to him and addressed the devastating figure of Lucius Malfoy.

"Busy time at the Ministry, I hear," said Lucius Malfoy. "All those extra raids... I hope they're paying you overtime?" Suddenly, he reached towards Ginny -- her heart raced -- and took one of the books from her cauldron.

"Obviously not," he said holding her ancient copy of A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration. "Dear me, what's the use of being a disgrace to the name of wizard if they don't even pay you well for it?"

"We have a very different idea of what disgraces the name of wizard, Malfoy," Ginny's father replied.

"Clearly," Lucius Malfoy said, looking in the direction of Hermione's Muggle parents, whom Ginny's father had just been talking to. Ginny knew Lucius Malfoy was the type of person she had warned Kimmy Seong about -- those wizards who despised Muggles and didn't think Muggle-borns like Hermione were much better.

"The company you keep, Weasley," he continued silkily, "and I thought your family could sink no lower --"

THUD!

Ginny's father had attacked Lucius Malfoy and knocked him backwards into a bookshelf. Her family was shouting at her father, but Ginny herself didn't say anything -- she was preoccupied with feeling small and insignificant on the sidelines of the brawl between two fully grown men. She felt horribly defenseless and unimportant. All she wanted now was to somehow get her Transfiguration book back -- it was her book, after all -- and go home.

Books cascaded down all over the crowd as they moved backwards and more shelves got knocked over. Ginny felt as though the whole world was falling apart around her.

"Break it up, there, gents, break it up --"

Ginny was suddenly very pleased that Hagrid was so large. In an instant he pulled Ginny and Malfoy's fathers apart, both of whom had been hurt from the battle. Lucius Malfoy thrust Ginny's book at her.

"Here, girl -- take your book -- it's the best your father can give you --" he said furiously.

Ginny didn't much like the idea of being so near someone like Lucius Malfoy when he looked that angry -- she half-believed he could kill her with just the malicious look in his eyes. As she took her book with shaking hands, she was careful to keep an eye on where his hands were in case they snaked themselves around her neck. After pulling himself free of Hagrid's grip, Lucius Malfoy beckoned his son out of the shop with him. As soon as they were gone, Ginny felt it was safe to relax her heightened tension and to breathe normally again.

Ginny sighed mentally. All in all, she wasn't having a very good day, but at least they managed to afford all her supplies. And she had gotten her book back.