Father's Minion

Chapter 2

The rest of the train ride was the same as it had always been...if not a bit more uncomfortable because of last year's events. Ron and Hermione got into a fight...over nothing. Neville lost Trevor. Luna stuck to The Quibbler like glue. while Harry looked out at the landscape as it rushed past.

Ginny was dressed in her school robes and was ready for the carriage ride back to Hogwarts. She followed Harry and Ron out of the train and was greeted with the familiar carriages, drawn by not so familiar beasts. Ginny eyed them warily and looked at Luna uncertainly. Luna turned her glazed eyes upon Ginny and stated, "Thestrals." Before walking to one of the carriages and climbing in.

This startled Ginny quite a bit, she hadn't remembered seeing death...surely she must have though since she was seeing the Thestrals. In the Department of Mysteries it was hard to tell what was going on. Ginny stood dumbfounded for a while when a voice invaded her thoughts, "Careful Weasley, or your face might get stuck like that." A cold shiver ran down Ginny's spine causing her to shiver. She winced at her reaction then turned to face the culprit.

"Malfoy. I should've known, only you would be stupid enough to talk to someone who clearly despises you. Tell me, did you come back for another Bat-bogey Hex?" Ginny smirked. Draco's hand involuntarily went up to touch his nose; he glared at Ginny before he regained his cool composure.

"You tell me Weasley, does hurting someone bring you some queer joy, for if it does...you may be more Slytherin than any of us could've imagined." Draco leaned in to whisper the words in her ear, which caused Ginny to shiver again. She sneered at Draco and realized too late her blunder.

"Oh, and a sneer to match," Draco stated smirking at her. Ginny huffed and walked away before she lost her temper completely. It wasn't bad enough that Malfoy knew all the right buttons to push, but Ginny had an unsettling feeling that she would be seeing a lot more of him this year.

*****

Draco strode to a carriage at the end of the line where he knew Pansy Parkinson was waiting for him.

"What was that about?" Pansy scrunched her face up, making her look even more pug-like.

"What?"

"That--that--thing you just had with the Weasley girl, be careful Draco, if you get to close you might catch something." Pansy spat and crossed her arms defiantly.

"Surely you're not jealous," Draco suggested lazily. Pansy sputtered and looked at Draco in shock then started giggling like mad.

"Me? Jealous? And of her no less! Well, no, no. Of course not, that's preposterous."

"That's exactly what I thought, now let's drop it. How was your holiday?" He sat back and pretended to listen to her prattling. Draco sighed inwardly. This is going to be one long year.

*****

"Ginny, where've you been?" Ron asked shooting suspicious looks at her. Ginny sighed, she knew she couldn't very well tell her brother the truth, oh no, she wanted to deal with the ferret herself, so she settled for the next best answer.

"Looking for you lot of course."

"Why didn't you just follow us?" Hermione asked logically.

"Well, I did do, but you lot have longer legs than me, I simply couldn't keep up. I've inherited Mum's curse of shortness." The whole carriage looked at her, and then they all simultaneously seemed to agree with what she said and started up conversation again. Ginny situated herself in the seat between Ron and Harry.

Harry looked to her and smiled, though Ginny noticed that the smile didn't fully reach his eyes.

"All right Ginny?"

"As good as I'll ever be in times like these. How about you?" Ginny asked concernedly. Harry heaved a sigh and ran a hand through his already ruffled hair making it stand on end. Ginny had to hold back the laughter that was slowly bubbling to the surface, Harry took notice and smirked.

"Think my hair is funny do you?" Harry asked in mock seriousness. Ginny bit her lower lip and shook her head fiercely, "Of course not, only when you think you can tame it." Harry smiled again, but this one met his eyes and for one glimmering moment Ginny thought she saw something in them, hope maybe. She wasn't sure for it was soon gone and serious Harry was settled back in place. Ginny sighed inwardly. This is going to be one long year!

*****

The Great Hall was amazing as usual, the floating candles and the enchanted ceiling never ceased to amaze Ginny. She smiled openly when she saw Dumbledore seated in the center of the staff table. Exactly where he should be, Ginny thought, right at the heart of the school. She made her way with the trio to the Gryffindor table and sat down next to Hermione across from Harry and Ron. It was good to be back.

*****

Draco stepped into the Great Hall followed by all of his worshipers, he made his way languidly to the Slytherin table. He looked around at all of the excited faces and sneered, this was definitely going to be a long year. Draco settled himself in a seat while Crabbe and Goyle found their seats on either side of him, and Blaise and Pansy fought over who would get the seat across from him. In the end, it was Daphne Greengrass who took the opportunity to slide into the seat while the unsuspecting pair fought.

"Hello Draco," Daphne's soft voice said. Draco nodded in acknowledgment, but he didn't say anything. He hadn't really ever paid much mind to the girl sitting across from him, mainly because she always seemed guarded before, but now it seemed that she had burst out of that shell over holiday and Draco was interested to see what she was capable of.

"HEY! That's my seat you're sitting in Greenarse." Pansy wailed causing much of the Slytherin table to look up, awaiting a fight. Blaise glared at Pansy and pulled her straight hair, "No, it's my seat!" now Blaise directed her attention to Daphne and commanded, "Move Greengrass!" Draco raised an eyebrow at Daphne, but the girl simply looked calmly between Pansy and Blaise and said in an extremely soft voice, "It seems to me that, though you are both fighting over the seat...I happen to be actually sitting in it. I would appreciate it if you would both quit fighting like brazen cows, and I suggest you find other seats to accommodate your needs." Daphne turned back to Draco and smirked before starting a conversation with him, "How was your holiday--" Pansy was sputtering, something she did quite often, Draco analyzed.

"Draco! You're not just going to let her do that are you?" Draco shrugged his shoulders in a noncommittal way and directed his attention back to Daphne.

*****

Ginny watched the whole scene display in front of her eyes and couldn't help snorting; of course this action caused the rest of the table to look at her curiously.

"Sorry, just noticing the stupidity of Slytherin females." Ginny announced. Of course, at this comment, everyone at the Gryffindor table started talking in hushed tones and laughing at their own jokes, casting spiteful glances at the Slytherin table. The conversation was soon brought to an end when the first years entered the Hall and Professor McGonagall walked briskly to the front of the room, placing the sorting hat and the stool in the center.

All the students waited expectantly for the Sorting Hat's new song. Nothing happened. Someone at the Ravenclaw table coughed, but other than that the silence was ringing in the hall. Ginny looked around the table and saw that others were doing the same, everyone seemed dumbfounded, but Dumbledore sat at the staff table beaming as if this were some great new feature.

Suddenly the hat started to talk, rather than sing:

It's time to set differences aside.

Come together

All abide!

Let the sorting begin.

Everyone looked around the Great Hall confused. Professor McGonagall called the first name.

"Applegate, Kelly" a short girl with golden curls and bright blue eyes hesitantly stepped up to the sorting hat. Ginny thought that the girl looked sweet enough, she'd probably end up in Hufflepuff. The sorting hat seemed to be pondering something before it shouted.

"SLYTHERIN." Little Kelly sat on the stool with the hat on her head and looked dumbfounded.

"Well, come on, go sit with your house," McGonagall encouraged. The girl burst into tears and ran to the nearest vacant seat at the Slytherin table looking very scared. The Slytherins looked on in disgust and mild amusement.

"Azar, John" a tall boy with and angular face and an arrogant smirk waltzed up to the stool.

"He reminds me of Malfoy," Harry whispered.

"He'll be put in Slytherin for sure," Ron agreed.

Before the hat touched his head it shouted...

"GRYFFINDOR." No one clapped; the whole table just looked around bewildered. The young boy walked up and took the seat next to Ginny. He smirked at her and pinched her bum before he reverted his attention back to the sorting. Ginny emitted a small squeak at the young boy. Hermione leaned over and asked, "You okay?"

"Umm...yes?"

*****

The sorting went on with the hat placing weird people in different houses. There was a young boy who was placed in Ravenclaw, but couldn't seem to decipher which table they sat at.

"I think the hat's gone barmy," Ron whispered. Ginny nodded in agreement.

Dumbledore stood and held his hands up for silence.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," Dumbledore said, "as usual the Forbidden Forest is off limits to everyone. Our caretaker Mr. Filch has kindly asked me to remind you that there will be a new list posted for off limit products at the school, I daresay the Weasley twins have been busy." Dumbledore looked at Ginny and Ron a twinkle in his eye. Ginny and Ron both had the grace to blush furiously knowing that they came stocked with products that their brothers wanted tested.

"I want to remind everyone that times now are very grave," Dumbledore stated the twinkle gone from his eyes now, "Voldemort is back, you must recognize that and we all must pull together." He clapped his hands together smiling once again, "Now without a further ado--"

Dumbledore didn't finish for an owl had soared into the Great Hall, an eagle owl to be exact; it was heading straight for the Slytherin table. It dropped a package right into Draco Malfoy's lap. Everyone stared in his direction waiting for the package to explode, or emit the Dark Mark, or do something extravagant, but nothing happened.

"Well," said Dumbledore kindly, "Don't leave us in suspense Mr. Malfoy, please, open it."

*****

Oh, you're just loving this aren't you Dumbledore. Draco scowled and ripped open his package. He pulled out some kind of box...it had clowns on the side and a lever of some sort. He stared at it in bewilderment, what was this? Some sort of joke?

"Well, well Malfoy! Who knew you of all people would have a thing for Muggle toys!" It was Granger, and she was loving this. Draco looked at the offensive box again, a Muggle toy eh?

"Well, go ahead, crank it up." Someone Draco didn't know yelled. So...Draco did, far be it for his to keep these mindless fools waiting. He started to turn the pulley and loud music was being emitted from the box and soon all the Muggleborns were singing along.

"Round and round the cobbler's bench
The monkey chased the weasel,
The monkey thought 'twas all in fun
Pop! Goes the weasel."

Draco was baffled and soon the lever was turning itself, he sat back and listened to all the Mudbloods sing the stupid song, while staring at the thing. Even the staff table seemed to be amused, and now Dumbledore was singing along with everyone.

"A penny for a spool of thread
A penny for a needle,
That's the way the money goes,
Pop! Goes the weasel.

A half a pound of tupenny rice,
A half a pound of treacle.
Mix it up and make it nice,
Pop! Goes the weasel.

Up and down the London road,
In and out of the Eagle,
That's the way the money goes,
Pop! Goes the weasel."

Draco hoped the song would end soon because this was just nonsensical, people from the other tables were all peering at the box intently and there was something in their eyes...they were waiting for something...

"I've no time to plead and pine,
I've no time to wheedle,
Kiss me quick and then I'm gone
POP!"

And it did. Something popped out of the toy scaring half the Slytherin table. Draco jumped in his seat, but was able to regain his composure. Luckily too, because he was the only one who could see what had popped out of the box, it was a picture...

of Ginny Weasley.

Goes the weasel."

Everyone else finished the song in giggles and pales of laughter. Draco took out the letter that was attached to the box.

Son,

Watch the Weasel!

L.M.

Draco paled and looked up, Ginny was looking straight at him. Draco shivered.

*****

Ginny shivered. What was that?