The Once and Future Dragon King

Ginny frowned as she looked out the window. Of course it would rain on the one day the boys had promised a game of 2-on-2 Quidditch. It wasn't fair. She and Elaine had it all worked out, and they would have beaten Ron and Harry easily. But Mrs. Weasley would never let them play in the rain.

She supposed it could wait until tomorrow. ...Tomorrow... Tomorrow? Ginny slapped herself in the head as she remembered.

"Ow..." How could she forget? Tomorrow was the day they were going to Diagon Alley!

Elaine had been so excited. Having grown up in a Muggle orphanage, this was her first real foray into the Wizarding world. Molly had wanted to take her somewhere nice, but what with the attack on the school... nobody really had time to look after the newest member of the Weasley family...

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Albus Dumbledore looked at the calendar.

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"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRR!"

Nobody paid the agitated seventeen-year-old any attention. Of course. Nobody ever did. That may have been because nobody could hear him. Malfoy Manor was, after all, large beyond all reason. And empty. Colder than normal too. The house elves had slacked off lately. Draco wanted to whip them, but violence was too difficult. Well, Draco had to admit; difficult was entirely the wrong word. He was perfectly capable of everything he had been capable of a year, or even two years ago. But the thought of punishments brought back too many memories of his father.

Draco threw the heavy pile of bills and debts against the wall and sulked.

It wasn't fair.

It would have been easier if Lucius had succeeded in killing Draco. If the Weasley girl hadn't been there...

Draco shook his head. He knew it would have made no difference.

Death, or Debts.

He reached for the nearest letter.

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Albus Dumbledore looked at the time.

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Harry stared at Ron.

"You... you... what?"

Ron blushed. "Look, I didn't mean for it to happen, it just did... I don't know. But I don't think I'm going to try it again, she slapped me good and hard, and she hasn't come downstairs since."

Harry grinned. "Ron, didn't you learn anything from my relationship woes with Cho? Did she kiss you back?"

Ron opened his mouth to answer-

"You know Harry, I don't think that's really any of your business," Hermione said as she stuck her head out of the room she shared with Elaine. The room that had belonged to Percy before his death. Of course nobody mentioned Percy. Mrs. Weasley would tend to break down if anybody did. It really was a tragedy but Percy's death isn't part of this story, so Hermione slammed her door again and continued to eavesdrop.

Ron grumbled something about it not being fair that the walls in the house were so thin, and almost found himself wishing that Pansy had never saved his life. He took it back the same moment the thought entered his mind.

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Albus Dumbledore smiled and whispered into the thin air, "Arthur will be back soon."

The thin air seemed rather pleased.

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