Ginny Weasley and the Heirs of Darkness

Chapter Six: Meetings and Greetings on the Hogwarts Express

The morning of Tuesday, September the first dawned bright and beautiful, but Ginny's mood when she awakened was a sharp contrast to the sunny weather outside. After her peculiar encounters with Draco Malfoy during prefects' training, and the abysmal way the rest of that weekend had gone, she had been dreading the return to Hogwarts.

Not only had Draco's friendliness dissipated just as quickly as it had appeared, but he'd avoided her like the plague until it was time to leave on Sunday afternoon. And her attempt to break into the library Saturday night had been fruitless; she'd found nothing of interest, since over half the Restricted Section had been removed, as the sign said, "by order of the Headmaster." That had piqued Ginny's curiosity, but certainly hadn't left her with much quality reading material. She had ended up returning to Gryffindor Tower, spending the evening just the way she had the one before- curled up with her Sirius Black novel and Hermione's cat. She was still angry with Hermione, but that irritability did not extend to Crookshanks, who purred pleasantly and kept her lap warm.

As far as Hermione was concerned, Ginny wasn't really sure what she wanted to do. It wasn't terribly important, but it was the principle of the matter. Ginny hadn't said anything to Harry, as that would require divulging the fact that she'd had dinner with Draco Malfoy. She didn't anticipate Harry taking kindly to that piece of information.

Maybe Fiona and Bronwen would have some advice for her. Ginny had already decided she didn't want to sit with the prefects on the Hogwarts Express; instead, she would closet herself in a compartment with her two best friends and pour out the whole problem. She brightened somewhat. Pooling Ravenclaw cleverness and Slytherin cunning, Fiona and Bronwen were always brimming with good ideas.

A knock on her door. "Gin? Ginny, are you awake?"

Harry. Hiding a grin with the edge of her blankets, Ginny called, "Come in!"

Harry burst in the door, eyes bright behind his glasses. "Morning!"

Sitting up, Ginny patted the corner of her bed. "Morning, Harry." He sat, and she leaned forward to kiss his cheek. "How long have you been up?"

He shrugged, grinning. "Ages. Ron's been awake since five, scrambling to get ready, pacing nervously, occasionally stepping on me. When he narrowly missed my head, I figured I'd be better off getting up, too."

"That sounds like Ron," Ginny said with a giggle. "I heard from Damian Godswift that Cho Chang told him he was in the running for Head Boy next year, and ever since, he's been just unbearable. And here I had thought last year that this prefect business wasn't going to his head the way it did with Percy."

"Just as long as you don't go nuts on me," Harry teased, poking her in the ribs.

"Not a chance," she replied with a roll of her eyes. She got out of bed, revealing an uncharacteristically cute pink-and-purple plaid pajama set that her Aunt Beatrix had bought for her. "I'd better get dressed," she continued, pulling Harry up off her bed and shooing him out the door. "See you at breakfast."

The Weasley household was a flurry of activity that morning, with Harry, Ginny and Ron putting the finishing touches on their packing, Mrs. Weasley fluttering around the kitchen making corned beef sandwiches, and the twins doing their level best to be absolute nuisances. Ginny had given them an earful about interrupting her when she was leaving on the Floo for prefects' training. They'd cheerfully pretended to be chastened, then pawned off the gift they'd tried to give her before she left- a clear glazier's jar filled with a sticky amber-colored substance. Unlike most of the twins' concoctions, it hadn't been labeled.

"What is it?" Ginny had asked uncertainly.

George had grinned at her. "Honey."

"George, this is no time for endearments," Ginny teased.

Fred snickered. "No, Gin, it is honey." He winked wickedly. "Try it-"

"No."

"-out on Harry or Ron," Fred finished.

"Why can't you do it yourself?"

"Gin," George said placatingly, as if his sister had the intelligence quotient of a Flobberworm, "they don't trust us anymore. It has to be you."

"After the Black Current Cake, I'd think they wouldn't trust me, either," Ginny grumbled. "But alright, I'll do it."

"Great!"

"Wait, what does it do, exactly?"

"You'll see," said Fred mysteriously. "We're pretty proud of this one, Gin."

Before dinner that night, Ginny had slipped the honey onto the table near her own plate. "Ron, would you like some honey for your dessert?" she'd asked sweetly.

But before Ron could reply, Mrs. Weasley had lifted the jar from the table, examining it. "This looks delicious, Ginny, dear. Did you buy it?" she asked, drizzling it over her dessert and taking a large bite. Ginny cast a horrified look at her brothers, who were muffling delighted sniggers into their mugs of water.

Watching her mother's face in perverse fascination, Ginny couldn't help but giggle when her mother gave a great hiccough, and out of her mouth popped a giant horned snail.

Fred let out a whoop of delight. "It works!" he crowed, slapping his twin on the back. George grinned, giving Ginny a conspiratorial wink.

Mrs. Weasley opened her mouth to yell, but before she could utter a word, another hiccough shook her round frame, and a second snail flew across the table, landing in the soup of a shocked Mr. Weasley.

In the end, Fred and George had been forbidden to test any more food on unsuspecting family members, and both of them had received a stern lecture from Mrs. Weasley- Mr. Weasley had looked on with the air of someone desperately trying not to burst into laughter. Ginny was sure she'd seen the edges of her father's mouth struggling mightily not to grow into a wide grin.

The jar of honey had been forgotten in all the excitement, though, so it was now tucked neatly at the bottom of Ginny's trunk. She wasn't sure yet what she was going to use it for, but she was fairly certain it would come in handy at some point.

"Wingardium Leviosa," she muttered, levitating her trunk down the stairs and into the crowded front hall.

"'Bout time, Gin," said Ron, who had been waiting impatiently.

"Well I haven't been up since five, like some people," she replied crossly.

"You're crabby like you've been up for hours," her brother snapped back. "Sheesh."

"Ron, leave your sister be." Mrs. Weasley looked over her children, eyes misty. "Both of you prefects this year," she sniffled. "It's so wonderful."

Oh, yeah, Ginny thought, it's wonderful alright. She hadn't failed to notice that neither she nor Ron had been given an owl for becoming a prefect, the way Percy had. The Weasleys may have more money now that most of their children were supporting themselves, but Ginny had observed that the novelty of successful children had worn off. She sighed, thinking of the multitude of hand-me-downs stuffed in her trunk: Bill's boots (she hadn't dared to wear them today, in front of her mother), Charlie's old broom, most schoolbooks gleaned from a combination of older brothers. At least, as the only girl, she got new clothes. She smirked to herself. Not to mention the new designer wardrobe she'd acquired in Diagon Alley....

"Yeah, yeah, Mum," Ron said, embarrassed to have his mother acting so maternal in front of Harry. "Can we go?"

The trip to London went quickly, and soon they were in King's Cross station, shoving through the bustling crowds on their way to Platform Nine and Three Quarters. The instant Ginny burst through the magical barrier to the other side, she heard excited voices calling her name.

"Gin! Ginny! Over here!" Rushing toward her, waving excitedly, were Fiona and Bronwen. The three girls crowded together, chattering excitedly.

"It's been ages-"

"I have so much stuff to tell you-"

"There's just a million things-"

The three girls stopped, grinning at each other. Ginny broke the brief silence, squeezing her friends' shoulders. "Help me load my trunk, and then can we get a compartment? I have something important I want to talk to you two about."

Waving a distracted goodbye to her mother, Ginny followed Bronwen through the crowd to where trunks were being dropped off with the conductor. She scanned briefly for a shock of platinum blond hair, but didn't see Draco at all.

"Who are you looking for?" asked Fiona, curious.

Ginny sighed. "I'll explain everything. Let's find a compartment."

Cozily ensconced together in a compartment, Ginny poured out the entire summer's events to her two friends. The news about Harry brought about a surprised squeal from Fiona, who had been rooting for that relationship for ages. Bronwen had been thoughtfully silent, brow wrinkled and midnight-blue eyes troubled; she was not a fan of Harry's. Though she had never discouraged Ginny, her feelings on the subject were rather apparent.

The Draco situation brought about almost diametrically opposite reactions. Fiona wrinkled her nose in distaste. "I don't see how you could even stand to talk to him, Gin. I mean, he's pretty good-looking," she said, giggling a little, "but he's an awful git."

"Not so," said Bronwen hotly, defending her housemate. "Yes, he can be a bit arrogant at times, but-"

"But we all know that tends to be a Slytherin trait!" Ginny finished lightly.

Bronwen punched her friend's arm. "What I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted," she teased, "is that Draco can also be a lot of fun."

Fiona tucked a stray lock of her sandy brown hair behind her ear, warm gray eyes uncertain. "I think he's toying with you, Gin," she said with an air of finality. She put up her hand, stopping Bronwen's protest. "I'm not saying he's a bad person, Bron. I just think it's a little fishy, to be charming one moment and then avoid you the next." Her eyes narrowed. "You know how awful he's been to Harry, Ginny, so how can you even consider speaking with him?"

Bronwen, who was nibbling thoughtfully on the end of a Licorice Wand, examined Ginny carefully. "Because she likes him, Fi," she said slowly, watching for the telltale blush.

Sure enough, Ginny obligingly turned a bright pink. "Do not," she said obstinately.

"You do!" Bronwen exclaimed, triumphant. "I knew it, Gin!"

Fiona looked aghast. "You don't really, do you? How can you like Draco when you're dating Harry?"

Ginny slid low in her seat, embarrassed. She covered her face with her hands. "Don't want to talk about it," came her muffled voice.

Bronwen patted her arm. "Don't worry, Ginny, I've liked three boys at once before!"

Fiona was disgusted. She had always assumed that Ginny was more like herself, having a crush on one specific boy, a nice boy, for a long time. Flirting and silliness and acting boy crazy was for Bronwen, not herself and Ginny. And now Ginny fancied Draco Malfoy in addition to Harry Potter, her new boyfriend? "I can't believe it."

"Just because you think the sun rises and sets on Linus Clearwater, Fiona, does not mean that Ginny can't fall out of love with Harry." Bronwen poked Ginny's arm. "Do you love Harry, Gin?" she demanded, bouncing in her seat.

"Yes- maybe- I don't know!" Ginny pulled her hands from her face, meeting each of her friends' eyes in turn. "I've liked him for so long that now that I have to think about it, I don't know what to think."

"Then don't think about it," Bronwen advised sagely. "If you're meant to be with Harry, things will be so peaches-and-creamy wonderful that you'll forget about Draco." She gave Ginny a sly look out of the corners of her eyes. "Otherwise, you can marry Draco and have lots of little blond-haired, freckled baby Slytherins!" she cried, tickling Ginny's ribs.

"Bronwen!" Fiona and Ginny exclaimed; Ginny also whacked her friend with a stray notebook. "Don't say such awful things!"

Hitting Ginny back with her satchel, Bronwen grinned wickedly. "Don't tell me neither of you have ever thought about what it might be like to kiss him," she teased.

"Never," sniffed Fiona haughtily. "He's beastly."

Bronwen rolled her eyes. "Liar- you admitted earlier you think he's gorgeous. Gin?"

Another blush. "Well, not until recently..." she trailed off.

"But you have thought about what it would be like to kiss him?" Bronwen demanded, sensing victory.

"Kiss who?" asked Harry, standing in the doorway to the compartment, looking at Ginny quizzically.

"No one," Ginny replied nonchalantly, scooting over to make room for him. "Bronwen is just being a git."

"How shocking," said Harry snidely. Bronwen gave him an unpleasant little smile, and Fiona pinched her knee. "What else have you three been up to?" he continued, turning to Ginny.

She shrugged, giving Bronwen a look that begged for good behavior. "Not much," she said, eyes sparkling merrily. "I told them about the incredibly handsome boy who asked me out this summer." She paused, and added, as a teasing afterthought, "Oh, and I told them about dating you, too."

Harry's eyes widened behind his glasses, then he caught on. A mock glare and a wounded wince. "And you told me I was the only one for you, Ginny," he said, pretending hurt.

Bronwen looked up sharply, and Ginny hastily changed the subject, giggling nervously- Harry had hit a little too close to the mark on that one. "Where have you been, Harry?"

"Talking to Mimi Wood. She strained her wrist this summer, and it's been a slow heal, so she's worried about playing this season. But our first match, against Ravenclaw," he nodded briefly at Fiona, "isn't for a few weeks, so I think she'll be alright."

"Mimi Wood?" asked Bronwen in a concerted effort to be friendly. "Any relation to Oliver?"

Harry nodded. "His cousin. She's playing Beater, though, since Gin here is our new Keeper." He squeezed her shoulder affectionately. "Well, I'm going to go look for Ron and Hermione- hopefully they've had enough 'alone time' now," he said, making a face. "See you later, ladies."

"Bye, Harry," chorused Fiona and Bronwen as Harry leaned over to give Ginny a light kiss.

As soon as the door slid shut behind Harry, Bronwen made a nasty face at Ginny. "Honestly, Gin, I think he's kind of a prat."

Ginny hadn't been pleased with Harry's comment to Bronwen, either, but she felt obligated to defend him. "He's just tired, Bron. It's been a long day already. Ron woke him up at five o'clock."

"Uh-huh," Bronwen replied, not interested in what she saw as excuses. "But don't you think-" She stopped as the compartment door slid open again, revealing Draco Malfoy. "Boys on parade," she muttered.

"There you are, Bronwen," Draco said in lieu of a greeting. "Julius wants all of us down in his compartment for a quick meeting about practice schedules." His eyes avoided Ginny's. Deliberately, it seemed.

"Hello and welcome back to you, too, Draco," Bronwen said sarcastically. "And already? Can't he wait until we get to school, at least?"

"Apparently not," Draco said dryly. "But it should only take a minute."

Grumbling, Bronwen stood, then an evil gleam shone in her eye. "Gracious," she exclaimed, "I've been so rude! Draco, do you know my friends? This is Fiona," she said, pointing, "and this is Ginny."

Draco nodded curtly. "I think we've met." Bronwen continued as if she hadn't heard him. "And, girls, this is Draco. I'm sure you know that he's Slytherin Seeker?"

"You don't say," said Fiona wryly. "Who would have guessed."

Draco's eyes skimmed lightly over both Fiona and Ginny when Bronwen said their names, but his gaze was chilly. Ginny didn't know exactly why, but she felt strangely hurt. Bronwen finally decided to put everyone out of their misery. "Alright," she said, taking Draco's arm, "we'll be back shortly." The door slid closed.

Fiona glanced at Ginny and was surprised to see the wounded look on Ginny's face. "Oh, Gin, don't be upset." She struggled with the urge to smugly say, 'I told you so!' "It's like I said, you're best off with Harry, really."

Ginny nodded, eyes staring out the window, watching the Scottish countryside whiz past. "I'm sure you're right. When I'm with Harry, it's so wonderful." She turned a mournful gaze on her friend. "But when I see Draco, all thoughts of Harry just fly right out of my head." Groaning, Ginny closed her eyes. "I don't have the faintest idea what to do."

"I can't believe I'm saying this," Fiona commented, humor tingeing her voice, "but I agree with Bronwen. The best thing you can do is not think about it. At the moment, Draco seems a little bit less than interested in you," she continued gently, "so things are probably working out for the best."

"I know," Ginny said with a sigh. "I just want to know why, Fiona. Why treat me like a detestable extension of Ron and Harry for so long, then try to befriend me, and then be cold again? It doesn't make sense!"

Fiona made a derisive noise. "He's Draco Malfoy, Gin, he doesn't have to make sense." A pause as she chewed her lower lip nervously. "While we're on the topic of boys," she said slyly, "you had mentioned that Penny was at your house this summer? Did Linus come up in conversation at all...?"

***

"This," Georgine hissed to her brother, "is absolutely barbaric." She and Frédéric were prowling the train, looking for an empty compartment.

Frédéric shrugged. "Well, it's definitely not a Beauxbatons carriage, but it's not that bad, Ji." He peered ahead, further down the corridor. "Oh, look, it's Draco. Maybe we can ask him where there is more space."

Georgine waved to Draco, who was walking toward them, escorting a pretty brunette girl. She was chattering animatedly at him, but he seemed to be listening to her with only one ear- his eyes had the glazed-over look of boredom. "Draco," Georgine called.

"Hello, Frédéric, Georgine. Can I help you with something?" Draco pasted on a smile, silently cursing his father for making the twins his responsibility.

"All the compartments we've found are full," Georgine told him, expression petulant.

"Look further toward the front," Draco directed. "Most people don't like to sit by the conductor."

Frédéric nodded. "Thanks," he replied, pulling his sister toward the front of the train.

Bronwen turned wide blue eyes to her housemate. "Draco, who were they? I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me- they look just like the Weasleys."

"They are not Weasleys," Draco said snidely. "Far from it. They're the Belletons, from an old French wizarding line."

"French? Why are they coming to Hogwarts, then? They looked about my age," Bronwen mused.

"They are your age; you'll probably be sharing your dormitory with Georgine, as I'm sure they'll be Slytherins." Draco's eyes showed some emotion for the first time that day- a vague admiration. "They got themselves kicked out of Beauxbatons. Wands snapped in half and everything, according to my father."

Bronwen grinned. "Brilliant!" She frowned. "Wonder why they didn't go to Durmstrang? That's what I would have done."

Draco shrugged, realizing that he didn't know why the twins had been kicked out, nor why they were at Hogwarts, since he'd been speaking with Ginny Weasley when he'd thought it was Georgine. Damn that girl, she certainly had a knack for causing him problems. "Don't know," he said, expression once again flat. Bronwen gave him a quizzical look but didn't comment.

"There's Julius," Draco said, pointing at the seventh-year Quidditch captain. He was already clustered with Malcolm Baddock, Vincent Crabbe, and Gregory Goyle.

"Good, we're all here," Julius pronounced when he saw Draco and Bronwen.

Draco frowned. "Still missing a Chaser?" he asked.

Julius nodded, looking annoyed. "We'll have to check the first-years as soon as they Sort in. I hate that we have Quidditch trials in the spring now." Ever since Harry Potter had become Seeker in his very first year at Hogwarts, all first-years had eagerly looked forward to the chance to be just like him. Frustrated, Madam Hooch had moved team trials to the end of spring term, so that teams would be decided and notified over the summer- that way, everything Quidditch-related was already firmly in place by the time the first-years arrived.

The Slytherin team was hurting this year, though. They'd scraped up two good Chasers in Bronwen Zabini and Malcolm Baddock, but Julius had been so disgusted by the other prospects, including the reserve team, that he'd decided to wait, and Madam Hooch had confirmed his choice. "A very sorry lot, Severus," she'd muttered to Professor Snape as they watched the tryouts.

Draco's face had taken on a calculating look, which Julius spotted immediately. "What are you thinking, Malfoy?" he asked, knowing Draco always had an excellent devious plan.

"Well, there are two new fifth-years on this train, and they're sure to be Sorted into Slytherin- I know their family. Want me to ask them if they play?"

Julius considered this. "Let's wait until they Sort in, just to be sure they don't end up in Ravenclaw or something."

Nods from the entire team. Julius continued, "But it sounds promising, Draco, excellent idea. Alright, let's make this short. Basically, what I want to know is, when is the best time for everyone to practice? I know you don't have your class schedules yet, but does anyone have a preference?"

Everyone shrugged. "Really can't say, Julius," said Bronwen breezily. "Can I go back to my compartment, now?" she asked, looking annoyed.

Julius closed his eyes briefly, exasperated. Bronwen was a very good player, but she wasn't exactly committed to the team effort. She was one of those frustratingly beautiful girls who always managed to have her own way.

And he'd been looking forward to seeing her again all summer long.

"Fine. But I want a copy of everyone's schedules pinned to my door as soon as you have them, alright?" Another round of nods. Julius gestured them away. "Go ahead and go."

Leaving the rest of the team in her wake, Bronwen hurried back to her compartment, where Fiona and Ginny had moved on from Linus Clearwater, and were discussing the classes they were taking.

"-and I've heard that Arithmancy is almost as boring as History of Magic," Fiona was saying as Bronwen slid the door open.

"Ginny, I saw her!"

"Saw who?" Ginny asked, confused.

"Georgine Belleton! Draco pointed her out- we ran into her and her brother in the corridor."

Ginny desperately wanted to ask Bronwen how Draco had acted around Georgine, but not in front of Fiona. Frankly, she wasn't sure she wanted to encourage Bronwen on that subject, either. "Does she really look like me?"

Bronwen looked thoughtful. "Not much. You're definitely prettier," she said loyally. "She was a bit- overdone."

Coming from a girl who couldn't be parted from her beloved cosmetic spells (though she certainly didn't need them), Ginny decided to take that as a compliment. "Thanks. Did you find out anything more about her?"

Bronwen shook her head. "No. And Draco didn't know anything else, either, or at least he didn't say." A frown. "That boy can be infuriating."

"Indeed," Ginny muttered. She sought eagerly for a new subject. "Oh, Bronwen, I've been meaning to tell you- thanks so much for the birthday present. It's a great book."

Bronwen looked at her quizzically. "You've already thanked me for it, Gin. It came up in the conversation about why Draco was talking to you during the prefects' meeting, remember?" Her eyes sparkled- Ginny was absolutely gone on her fellow Slytherin, she was sure of it. 'Harry who?' would be the next words out of Ginny's mouth if Bronwen had any say about it.

"Oh, right," Ginny replied, flustered. She was a mess today, no doubt about it.

"That reminds me, though," said Fiona, rescuing Ginny from Bronwen's amused chuckling. "I have a gift for you as well, Ginny."

"Oh, Fiona, you didn't have to, either-" Ginny protested.

"I know, but I wanted to." She produced a very small box. "I hope you like it."

Ginny slipped the sparkly pink paper off the box, opening it carefully. Inside was a small bronze card that said, 'One year membership in the Order of Rowena.' She gasped. "Fiona! A membership to the Library of Magick- I don't know how to thank you!"

"A simple 'you're the most wonderful person ever, Fiona,' would do quite nicely," Fiona teased. "So, you like it?"

"I love it!" Ginny was thrilled- the Library of Magick was very exclusive, and contained some of the best books available in Wizarding Britain. Permanent members of the Order of Rowena were selected by a committee, but it was possible to purchase lesser memberships in one-year increments. The only thing not available to temporary members was the Order's archives, which Ginny was sure she wouldn't need anyway. "Thank you, Fiona, this is a marvelous gift."

Even Bronwen looked impressed, and a little bit jealous of Ginny. "Wow, Fi, that's really amazing- how did you get it?"

A blush. "My mother is a permanent member. So she helped arrange it." Fiona winked at Bronwen. "Think you can wait the three weeks until your own birthday?"

Bronwen's eyes widened. "Fiona! No way, one for me, too?" She hugged her friend. "You're the best."

Fiona fidgeted, suddenly embarrassed. "Just doing my country a favor, really. You two will be the best Aurors ever."

"I hope so," Ginny replied, still staring in awe at the card.

The train's horn made a sudden, sharp blast, and the girls realized they were almost to Hogsmeade. "Better change, I suppose," said Bronwen.

Ginny, nodded, smiling. She could finally wear her boots!

***