Disclaimer: J. K. Rowling owns all things Harry Potter.
*****************
Coming Home
Chapter 10: Publicity
Shawna had arranged for the Daily Prophet to interview Ginny and Evan on Saturday. Ginny was a ball of nerves in anticipation.
On Friday, Ginny had received a package from Madam Malkin that took two owls to carry it. It contained two beautiful robes. The one for Evan was a rich chocolate brown that matched his eyes. Hers was modestly cut from a deep forest green silk. There was no note or bill with the package. Ginny smiled at the realization that Draco must have ordered them and paid as well. One less thing she needed to worry about. She would have to think of some way to thank him.
Shawna would be at the interview, but not Draco. Most witches and wizards still distrusted him, so they had decided it wouldn't be wise to make their friendship public. Ginny wanted to win the public over to the idea that she and Evan deserved to be left alone, and Draco's presence could only hurt this goal, at least at this early stage. Ginny had counted on having coffee with Draco that morning, however. He listened to her worries with a quiet steadiness that she found to be very calming. So when he wrote to say that he wasn't able to make it that morning because of an emergency, she was distraught.
Ginny was worried about Evan. She had tried to talk to him about what to expect at the interview and what to say (and not say) to the reporter, but he just brushed her off. He didn't seem to be nervous at all, which bothered her no end. She didn't trust the press at all, and was terrified of what they could do to Evan. She asked Shawna to talk to Evan before the interview Saturday morning, hoping that he would take someone else's advice more seriously. The two of them disappeared together into Shawna's office and emerged twenty minutes later with twin smirks on their faces. This left Ginny even more unsettled than she had been before. What had the publicist told her son?
By the time she arrived at the interview, Ginny was a nervous wreck.
The interview was to be conducted by Eloise Midgen, who Ginny vaguely remembered from Hogwarts. She had been a Hufflepuff a year older than Ginny, and she and Hermione were friends. Knowing that helped a little--at least she wouldn't be second-guessing Eloise's motives through the entire ordeal. Ginny was further relieved by the fact that the photographer was not Colin Creevey. On one hand, it would have been nice to see her old friend. But his part in instigating the story that appeared on Wednesday was still fresh in her mind, and it would have been awkward to have to talk to him now.
Eloise started their conversation reassuringly with some small talk about the difficulties of moving and furnishing a flat. She gently steered the conversation to Ginny's life in Chicago, then to her reasons for leaving in the first place. Eloise very rarely asked questions that Ginny didn't want to answer, but when she did, Shawna would step in immediately. Ginny was a little unnerved by the publicist's uncanny ability to pick up on her mood, but shrugged it off, thinking that was what she was paying her for. Or what Draco was paying her for.
In any event, Ginny felt very comfortable with the process. By the time Eloise brought up the topic of Harry, Ginny wasn't inclined to object, and neither, it seemed, was Shawna. And there was no reason to object, really. Eloise was respectful and compassionate. Ginny remembered that she had known Harry too, at least a little bit.
Finally, it was time for Eloise to interview Evan, who had been waiting with Molly in another room. He greeted the reporter with a smile, though Ginny thought she might have seen him wink discreetly at Shawna when Eloise wasn't looking.
"Hello, Evan. I am Eloise. Do you mind if I ask you some questions?" Evan shook his head. "First of all, I understand that you used to live in Chicago, and that you lived as Muggles, without magic. Is that right?"
"Yeah. I didn't even know about witches and wizards until a few months ago."
"What was living in Chicago like?"
"It was great! My best friend Isaac lived downstairs and we used to do all sorts of things together."
"What sorts of things?"
"We played baseball and built model airplanes and swam in Lake Michigan even when the water was really cold and built snow forts and..." Ginny noticed that Evan was warming to the subject and could probably go on for hours in the same vein, but Eloise stopped him.
"Wow! That is all sorts of things. Do you miss it?"
"Well, I miss Isaac a lot, but I like it here too. Even though the pizza isn't as good and the kids here don't play baseball."
"No, I don't suppose they do. But they do play other sports. Have you had a chance to play Quidditch yet?"
"Not for real, but my Uncle Ron showed me how to ride a broomstick. Flying is amazing. Even better than baseball!"
As Eloise continued to talk to Evan, Ginny relaxed completely. It seemed she needn't have worried about Evan. Either whatever Shawna had said to him had worked, or Evan had an instinct for this sort of thing that he certainly hadn't gotten from his parents. On the other hand, Ginny also had to admit that the success of the interview was as much Eloise's doing as Evan's. She hadn't asked any questions designed to catch Evan off guard.
When they left the interview, Ginny pulled Shawna aside. "Would it be possible to request that Eloise conduct all of the interviews we do?"
"That's an excellent idea. I'll look into it and let you know. Now you should go home and relax! It has been a long day."
***
Ginny woke early the next morning, worried about what would be in the article. Remus appeared in her kitchen with a copy of the paper in his hand and a smile on his face.
"Is it okay, then?" she asked nervously.
"It is better than okay. Go ahead and read it. I'm going back home to bed, now that I have acted as your own personal delivery service."
"I really appreciate you bringing it by, especially so soon after the full moon."
"It is nothing. But maybe you should consider getting your own subscription."
"I suppose I should, but I don't like thinking about the wizarding world too much. And I can't bear some of the articles. I'm much happier in my state of ignorance."
"Except when you need to know and have to bring me into it."
"Exactly!" she answered, grinning. "Now go and get some rest!"
"Yes, ma'am!" Remus said, and Disapparated.
Indeed, the article was much better than okay. It was unexpectedly accurate, and fit the image that Ginny and Shawna had tried to convey. Eloise had portrayed Ginny as a mother who put her son's interests first. She emphasized Evan's childhood as a normal boy, and his wonder at magic. She highlighted his connection to Harry by talking about his joy in flying, even though he had only been on a broom a few times. She had ended the article with a plea to the public to leave him and Ginny alone. The picture that accompanied the article was particularly flattering. Ginny looked young and motherly at the same time, smiling down at her son. Evan looked a lot like Harry. Ginny was grateful that it had turned out so well.
When she met Draco for coffee, he was wearing a smirk.
"I knew you should wear green," he drawled. Ginny hit him playfully on the shoulder.
"Is that all you noticed?"
"What? Was there anything else to notice?" he asked with mock innocence.
"Oh, no," she said sarcastically. "Nothing but the article."
"Article? Why would I look at that when I could look at your picture?" He was still smirking.
"You can be so infuriating!"
"But you like to be infuriated, don't you?"
"No!" she said, but a smile was pulling at the corners of her lips. Then she turned more serious. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"Shawna. I can't imagine it would have gone as well without her influence."
"Well, she is the best there is, otherwise I wouldn't work with her. But I think you should test the results before you thank me or her."
"What do you mean?"
"Would you care for a trip to Diagon Alley this afternoon?"
"I... I guess I should probably see if people will leave me alone, and Evan hasn't been there yet. It might be a good idea."
"Of course it is. It was my idea!"
"So, are you going to come with us?"
"I might follow at a safe distance. Just to make sure you aren't accosted, of course," he said with yet another smirk.
"Of course," Ginny said, rolling her eyes.
***
Later that day, Ginny steered Evan into the Leaky Cauldron. Silence fell as they started to walk through to the courtyard in back. Ginny felt extremely uncomfortable until Tom, who was still tending the bar, quickly started a loud conversation with large man in orange robes. This seemed to snap the patrons out of their collective trance. Soon the pub's volume had increased again, even though the atmosphere seemed falsely cheery. Ginny felt dozens of eyes on her as she wove her way through the tables.
As they stepped into the courtyard, Ginny breathed a sigh of relief. Apparently the patrons of the Leaky Cauldron, at least, were willing to respect her wishes. Evan took in the brick wall and the lone rubbish bin and gave Ginny a confused look.
"Uh, Mom? Are you sure we're in the right place?"
She smirked at him in a distinctly Draco-like way, pulled out her wand, and opened the gateway into the alley. Evan's jaw dropped. Harry had told her about his first visit to the magical shopping district, and it seemed that Evan's experience was similar.
They strolled along the street, looking at whatever caught their eyes. Ginny bought a cauldron and some potion ingredients at the Apothecary. They stopped at Gringotts to request an additional key for the Potter vault, and visited Fred and George in their shop. Ginny kept a close eye on the twins while they were there--she didn't want them to slip anything to Evan while her back was turned. She didn't relish the idea of spending the next hour singing show tunes or waking up the next morning as a duck.
Evan spent nearly an hour in the Magical Menagerie, examining the different creatures and pestering the shop owner with questions about them all. Evan asked Ginny for a snake, but she flatly refused. She was not particularly fond of snakes after her experiences with the basilisk. In the end, she and Evan compromised on a Puffskein. As they left the store, Ginny thanked the owner for her patience with Evan's questions. The woman gave Ginny a sad smile and said, "It was no bother, Mrs. Potter. His father... He came in here once, you know."
Ginny and Evan were receiving plenty of attention from passers by, but people kept their distance for the most part. Occasionally someone would courageously ask for an autograph, but Ginny's glare would send them scurrying. The shopkeepers tended to be extremely polite without calling any undue attention to the pair.
While they were enjoying ice cream sundaes at Florian Fortescue's Ginny noticed a small brown-haired girl at a nearby table staring intently at Evan. Her mother whispered something in her ear, which caused her to turn her head away for a few minutes, but she eventually stared again. Had Ginny looked like that when she had her crush on Harry? She felt uncomfortable on behalf of both children. Evan had been chattering about all of the new things he had seen that day and didn't seem to notice the girl. But as he finished the ice cream and popped the cherry into his mouth, he glanced in her direction. The girl blushed at his notice and turned away. He turned to Ginny and said, "I'll be right back, okay Mom?" before slipping off his chair and approaching the other table. The girl looked like she wanted to run away in embarrassment, but Evan didn't seem to notice.
"Hi! My name is Evan," he said to the girl. "What's yours?"
"J-Jane," she said nervously.
"Nice to meet you, Jane. What kind of ice cream did you have? Mine was strawberry and peanut butter. I'd never had that before, but my mom said it was one of my dad's favorites, so I had to try it. It was pretty good, but I'd rather have mint chocolate chip."
Jane still seemed intimidated, but was making a valiant effort to be polite. "M-mine was vanilla. With caramel sauce." Her voice was so quiet Ginny could barely hear it. "Is that... Is that a Puffskein in your pocket?"
"Yeah," Evan said, pulling out his new pet. "I just got him today. Do you want to pet him?" Jane reached out tentatively and touched the furry animal. After a few moments, she seemed to calm her down a bit. She started asking Evan questions about the animal. The two chatted amiably until Jane's mother indicated that they had to go. Ginny and Evan soon followed. Ginny was relieved that Evan had dealt with his first case of blatant adoration as deftly as he had. Maybe she didn't have to worry so much about him after all.
As she and Evan wandered through the alley, Ginny often saw Draco out of the corner of her eye. He seemed to be making a game of following them unobtrusively. Every now and then they would catch each others' eyes and would have to struggle to keep from laughing.
Inevitably, Evan was drawn to Quality Quidditch Supplies. He dragged Ginny inside and stood, looking longingly at the brooms. Draco, who had followed them, was lurking in the next aisle.
"Well, I suppose that if you're going to play Quidditch, you'll need a broom," Ginny said in a fake-mournful tone.
Evan's face lit up. "Really? Can I have that one?" He pointed to the Swallowtail, which was clearly the fastest, most expensive broom in the store.
"No."
"Why not?"
"You're only nine. There is time enough for a really fast racing broom later, once you have more experience. You nearly killed yourself the other day. Do you really think I'd let you have a really fast broom?" He looked a little abashed.
"But I promise I'll be safe!"
"How about this Nimbus?"
"Mom! Isn't that stodgy?"
"I would have to agree with that," came a cool voice. Draco. She decided to ignore him.
"Stodgy? Your father's first broom was a Nimbus. It served him very well!"
"That was what, eighteen years ago? Brooms have changed since then," Draco said.
"Yeah!" Evan said, looking at Draco with new respect. He still seemed wary, but wasn't going to turn down help.
"But all you need for now is something to practice on," Ginny countered.
"The Nimbus still isn't right for that. You'd be better off with this North Wind. It handles much better than the Nimbus, and would allow Evan to practice more realistic moves more safely than the Nimbus would."
Evan eyed the broom Draco indicated, and nodded furiously.
"Is this your first time in a Quidditch store?" Draco asked Evan. Evan nodded and Draco asked, "Did someone tell you about the different brands of brooms?"
"No," Evan said. "I can tell just by looking at the shape, just like with my model airplanes." Draco looked a little confused by this, but Evan continued. "That one is the best, very sleek." He pointed to the Swallowtail, "but apparently it is out of the question. That one," he said, pointing to the Nimbus Ginny had proposed, "is too thick. That one," now he pointed at the North Wind Draco had suggested, "is between the other two, sturdy but more aerodynamic."
Draco looked at Evan, surprise evident on his face. "How many times have you flown a broom?"
"Three," Evan answered.
"And you can already tell that by looking at the brooms?"
"Sure," Evan answered. "Can't you tell?"
"Yes," Draco responded, "but I've been flying for almost twenty-five years." He turned his attention to Ginny. "Look, Potter was the most natural flyer I have ever seen. And even after several years of Quidditch, he still needed advice when he picked out brooms. If Evan can tell the best broom just by looking at its shape, having only flown a few times... Well, let's just say that he will put your dear husband to shame. He deserves better than a flaming Nimbus. Buy him the North Wind." Ginny began to protest. "No. If you don't buy it, I will."
Ginny looked at the two determined faces she was staring at, and gave in. "Oh, all right. But you must fly safely at all times. No more of those dives, do you hear me?"
"Okay," he said. But when Ginny turned away to pay for the broom, Evan looked mischievously at Draco, and added quietly, "At least not when she's looking." The two of them burst into laughter. Ginny looked at them suspiciously, but didn't learn what caused it. They would never tell.
*****************
Coming Home
Chapter 10: Publicity
Shawna had arranged for the Daily Prophet to interview Ginny and Evan on Saturday. Ginny was a ball of nerves in anticipation.
On Friday, Ginny had received a package from Madam Malkin that took two owls to carry it. It contained two beautiful robes. The one for Evan was a rich chocolate brown that matched his eyes. Hers was modestly cut from a deep forest green silk. There was no note or bill with the package. Ginny smiled at the realization that Draco must have ordered them and paid as well. One less thing she needed to worry about. She would have to think of some way to thank him.
Shawna would be at the interview, but not Draco. Most witches and wizards still distrusted him, so they had decided it wouldn't be wise to make their friendship public. Ginny wanted to win the public over to the idea that she and Evan deserved to be left alone, and Draco's presence could only hurt this goal, at least at this early stage. Ginny had counted on having coffee with Draco that morning, however. He listened to her worries with a quiet steadiness that she found to be very calming. So when he wrote to say that he wasn't able to make it that morning because of an emergency, she was distraught.
Ginny was worried about Evan. She had tried to talk to him about what to expect at the interview and what to say (and not say) to the reporter, but he just brushed her off. He didn't seem to be nervous at all, which bothered her no end. She didn't trust the press at all, and was terrified of what they could do to Evan. She asked Shawna to talk to Evan before the interview Saturday morning, hoping that he would take someone else's advice more seriously. The two of them disappeared together into Shawna's office and emerged twenty minutes later with twin smirks on their faces. This left Ginny even more unsettled than she had been before. What had the publicist told her son?
By the time she arrived at the interview, Ginny was a nervous wreck.
The interview was to be conducted by Eloise Midgen, who Ginny vaguely remembered from Hogwarts. She had been a Hufflepuff a year older than Ginny, and she and Hermione were friends. Knowing that helped a little--at least she wouldn't be second-guessing Eloise's motives through the entire ordeal. Ginny was further relieved by the fact that the photographer was not Colin Creevey. On one hand, it would have been nice to see her old friend. But his part in instigating the story that appeared on Wednesday was still fresh in her mind, and it would have been awkward to have to talk to him now.
Eloise started their conversation reassuringly with some small talk about the difficulties of moving and furnishing a flat. She gently steered the conversation to Ginny's life in Chicago, then to her reasons for leaving in the first place. Eloise very rarely asked questions that Ginny didn't want to answer, but when she did, Shawna would step in immediately. Ginny was a little unnerved by the publicist's uncanny ability to pick up on her mood, but shrugged it off, thinking that was what she was paying her for. Or what Draco was paying her for.
In any event, Ginny felt very comfortable with the process. By the time Eloise brought up the topic of Harry, Ginny wasn't inclined to object, and neither, it seemed, was Shawna. And there was no reason to object, really. Eloise was respectful and compassionate. Ginny remembered that she had known Harry too, at least a little bit.
Finally, it was time for Eloise to interview Evan, who had been waiting with Molly in another room. He greeted the reporter with a smile, though Ginny thought she might have seen him wink discreetly at Shawna when Eloise wasn't looking.
"Hello, Evan. I am Eloise. Do you mind if I ask you some questions?" Evan shook his head. "First of all, I understand that you used to live in Chicago, and that you lived as Muggles, without magic. Is that right?"
"Yeah. I didn't even know about witches and wizards until a few months ago."
"What was living in Chicago like?"
"It was great! My best friend Isaac lived downstairs and we used to do all sorts of things together."
"What sorts of things?"
"We played baseball and built model airplanes and swam in Lake Michigan even when the water was really cold and built snow forts and..." Ginny noticed that Evan was warming to the subject and could probably go on for hours in the same vein, but Eloise stopped him.
"Wow! That is all sorts of things. Do you miss it?"
"Well, I miss Isaac a lot, but I like it here too. Even though the pizza isn't as good and the kids here don't play baseball."
"No, I don't suppose they do. But they do play other sports. Have you had a chance to play Quidditch yet?"
"Not for real, but my Uncle Ron showed me how to ride a broomstick. Flying is amazing. Even better than baseball!"
As Eloise continued to talk to Evan, Ginny relaxed completely. It seemed she needn't have worried about Evan. Either whatever Shawna had said to him had worked, or Evan had an instinct for this sort of thing that he certainly hadn't gotten from his parents. On the other hand, Ginny also had to admit that the success of the interview was as much Eloise's doing as Evan's. She hadn't asked any questions designed to catch Evan off guard.
When they left the interview, Ginny pulled Shawna aside. "Would it be possible to request that Eloise conduct all of the interviews we do?"
"That's an excellent idea. I'll look into it and let you know. Now you should go home and relax! It has been a long day."
***
Ginny woke early the next morning, worried about what would be in the article. Remus appeared in her kitchen with a copy of the paper in his hand and a smile on his face.
"Is it okay, then?" she asked nervously.
"It is better than okay. Go ahead and read it. I'm going back home to bed, now that I have acted as your own personal delivery service."
"I really appreciate you bringing it by, especially so soon after the full moon."
"It is nothing. But maybe you should consider getting your own subscription."
"I suppose I should, but I don't like thinking about the wizarding world too much. And I can't bear some of the articles. I'm much happier in my state of ignorance."
"Except when you need to know and have to bring me into it."
"Exactly!" she answered, grinning. "Now go and get some rest!"
"Yes, ma'am!" Remus said, and Disapparated.
Indeed, the article was much better than okay. It was unexpectedly accurate, and fit the image that Ginny and Shawna had tried to convey. Eloise had portrayed Ginny as a mother who put her son's interests first. She emphasized Evan's childhood as a normal boy, and his wonder at magic. She highlighted his connection to Harry by talking about his joy in flying, even though he had only been on a broom a few times. She had ended the article with a plea to the public to leave him and Ginny alone. The picture that accompanied the article was particularly flattering. Ginny looked young and motherly at the same time, smiling down at her son. Evan looked a lot like Harry. Ginny was grateful that it had turned out so well.
When she met Draco for coffee, he was wearing a smirk.
"I knew you should wear green," he drawled. Ginny hit him playfully on the shoulder.
"Is that all you noticed?"
"What? Was there anything else to notice?" he asked with mock innocence.
"Oh, no," she said sarcastically. "Nothing but the article."
"Article? Why would I look at that when I could look at your picture?" He was still smirking.
"You can be so infuriating!"
"But you like to be infuriated, don't you?"
"No!" she said, but a smile was pulling at the corners of her lips. Then she turned more serious. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"Shawna. I can't imagine it would have gone as well without her influence."
"Well, she is the best there is, otherwise I wouldn't work with her. But I think you should test the results before you thank me or her."
"What do you mean?"
"Would you care for a trip to Diagon Alley this afternoon?"
"I... I guess I should probably see if people will leave me alone, and Evan hasn't been there yet. It might be a good idea."
"Of course it is. It was my idea!"
"So, are you going to come with us?"
"I might follow at a safe distance. Just to make sure you aren't accosted, of course," he said with yet another smirk.
"Of course," Ginny said, rolling her eyes.
***
Later that day, Ginny steered Evan into the Leaky Cauldron. Silence fell as they started to walk through to the courtyard in back. Ginny felt extremely uncomfortable until Tom, who was still tending the bar, quickly started a loud conversation with large man in orange robes. This seemed to snap the patrons out of their collective trance. Soon the pub's volume had increased again, even though the atmosphere seemed falsely cheery. Ginny felt dozens of eyes on her as she wove her way through the tables.
As they stepped into the courtyard, Ginny breathed a sigh of relief. Apparently the patrons of the Leaky Cauldron, at least, were willing to respect her wishes. Evan took in the brick wall and the lone rubbish bin and gave Ginny a confused look.
"Uh, Mom? Are you sure we're in the right place?"
She smirked at him in a distinctly Draco-like way, pulled out her wand, and opened the gateway into the alley. Evan's jaw dropped. Harry had told her about his first visit to the magical shopping district, and it seemed that Evan's experience was similar.
They strolled along the street, looking at whatever caught their eyes. Ginny bought a cauldron and some potion ingredients at the Apothecary. They stopped at Gringotts to request an additional key for the Potter vault, and visited Fred and George in their shop. Ginny kept a close eye on the twins while they were there--she didn't want them to slip anything to Evan while her back was turned. She didn't relish the idea of spending the next hour singing show tunes or waking up the next morning as a duck.
Evan spent nearly an hour in the Magical Menagerie, examining the different creatures and pestering the shop owner with questions about them all. Evan asked Ginny for a snake, but she flatly refused. She was not particularly fond of snakes after her experiences with the basilisk. In the end, she and Evan compromised on a Puffskein. As they left the store, Ginny thanked the owner for her patience with Evan's questions. The woman gave Ginny a sad smile and said, "It was no bother, Mrs. Potter. His father... He came in here once, you know."
Ginny and Evan were receiving plenty of attention from passers by, but people kept their distance for the most part. Occasionally someone would courageously ask for an autograph, but Ginny's glare would send them scurrying. The shopkeepers tended to be extremely polite without calling any undue attention to the pair.
While they were enjoying ice cream sundaes at Florian Fortescue's Ginny noticed a small brown-haired girl at a nearby table staring intently at Evan. Her mother whispered something in her ear, which caused her to turn her head away for a few minutes, but she eventually stared again. Had Ginny looked like that when she had her crush on Harry? She felt uncomfortable on behalf of both children. Evan had been chattering about all of the new things he had seen that day and didn't seem to notice the girl. But as he finished the ice cream and popped the cherry into his mouth, he glanced in her direction. The girl blushed at his notice and turned away. He turned to Ginny and said, "I'll be right back, okay Mom?" before slipping off his chair and approaching the other table. The girl looked like she wanted to run away in embarrassment, but Evan didn't seem to notice.
"Hi! My name is Evan," he said to the girl. "What's yours?"
"J-Jane," she said nervously.
"Nice to meet you, Jane. What kind of ice cream did you have? Mine was strawberry and peanut butter. I'd never had that before, but my mom said it was one of my dad's favorites, so I had to try it. It was pretty good, but I'd rather have mint chocolate chip."
Jane still seemed intimidated, but was making a valiant effort to be polite. "M-mine was vanilla. With caramel sauce." Her voice was so quiet Ginny could barely hear it. "Is that... Is that a Puffskein in your pocket?"
"Yeah," Evan said, pulling out his new pet. "I just got him today. Do you want to pet him?" Jane reached out tentatively and touched the furry animal. After a few moments, she seemed to calm her down a bit. She started asking Evan questions about the animal. The two chatted amiably until Jane's mother indicated that they had to go. Ginny and Evan soon followed. Ginny was relieved that Evan had dealt with his first case of blatant adoration as deftly as he had. Maybe she didn't have to worry so much about him after all.
As she and Evan wandered through the alley, Ginny often saw Draco out of the corner of her eye. He seemed to be making a game of following them unobtrusively. Every now and then they would catch each others' eyes and would have to struggle to keep from laughing.
Inevitably, Evan was drawn to Quality Quidditch Supplies. He dragged Ginny inside and stood, looking longingly at the brooms. Draco, who had followed them, was lurking in the next aisle.
"Well, I suppose that if you're going to play Quidditch, you'll need a broom," Ginny said in a fake-mournful tone.
Evan's face lit up. "Really? Can I have that one?" He pointed to the Swallowtail, which was clearly the fastest, most expensive broom in the store.
"No."
"Why not?"
"You're only nine. There is time enough for a really fast racing broom later, once you have more experience. You nearly killed yourself the other day. Do you really think I'd let you have a really fast broom?" He looked a little abashed.
"But I promise I'll be safe!"
"How about this Nimbus?"
"Mom! Isn't that stodgy?"
"I would have to agree with that," came a cool voice. Draco. She decided to ignore him.
"Stodgy? Your father's first broom was a Nimbus. It served him very well!"
"That was what, eighteen years ago? Brooms have changed since then," Draco said.
"Yeah!" Evan said, looking at Draco with new respect. He still seemed wary, but wasn't going to turn down help.
"But all you need for now is something to practice on," Ginny countered.
"The Nimbus still isn't right for that. You'd be better off with this North Wind. It handles much better than the Nimbus, and would allow Evan to practice more realistic moves more safely than the Nimbus would."
Evan eyed the broom Draco indicated, and nodded furiously.
"Is this your first time in a Quidditch store?" Draco asked Evan. Evan nodded and Draco asked, "Did someone tell you about the different brands of brooms?"
"No," Evan said. "I can tell just by looking at the shape, just like with my model airplanes." Draco looked a little confused by this, but Evan continued. "That one is the best, very sleek." He pointed to the Swallowtail, "but apparently it is out of the question. That one," he said, pointing to the Nimbus Ginny had proposed, "is too thick. That one," now he pointed at the North Wind Draco had suggested, "is between the other two, sturdy but more aerodynamic."
Draco looked at Evan, surprise evident on his face. "How many times have you flown a broom?"
"Three," Evan answered.
"And you can already tell that by looking at the brooms?"
"Sure," Evan answered. "Can't you tell?"
"Yes," Draco responded, "but I've been flying for almost twenty-five years." He turned his attention to Ginny. "Look, Potter was the most natural flyer I have ever seen. And even after several years of Quidditch, he still needed advice when he picked out brooms. If Evan can tell the best broom just by looking at its shape, having only flown a few times... Well, let's just say that he will put your dear husband to shame. He deserves better than a flaming Nimbus. Buy him the North Wind." Ginny began to protest. "No. If you don't buy it, I will."
Ginny looked at the two determined faces she was staring at, and gave in. "Oh, all right. But you must fly safely at all times. No more of those dives, do you hear me?"
"Okay," he said. But when Ginny turned away to pay for the broom, Evan looked mischievously at Draco, and added quietly, "At least not when she's looking." The two of them burst into laughter. Ginny looked at them suspiciously, but didn't learn what caused it. They would never tell.
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