Six-year old Ginny Weasley happily stroked her new toy wand as she walked quickly to keep up with her father. She had always seen her few wizard friends her age playing with training wands, but she had never had one for herself until today. She smiled as she ran her fingers over the smooth wood, dented in a few places as it had once belonged to her brother, but nonetheless, she was satisfied. It served no purpose other than to practice not misplacing the wand she would someday have, but she was ecstatic to finally have one.
She walked proudly around the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic, before sitting next to the Fountain of Magical Brethren to wait for her father to return with a visitor’s pass for her. She loved visiting her father’s workplace, even though she had to wait in the Atrium every single time while he obtained permission for her to enter.
Ginny looked around the Atrium, watching as people popped in and out of the Floo fireplaces. Her gaze strayed to the golden symbols moving across the peacock blue ceiling of the Atrium. She always loved to look at all the beautiful things in the Atrium, and to see all the strange people who worked there.
An unusual splash broke her thoughts, and her attention turned to a young boy with white-blond hair who was playing in the fountain with what was no doubt a training wand. He was obviously bored, probably waiting for someone to get him. He poked his wand into the water and swished it around as though absentminded stirring a cauldron and the slapped at the water a few times, adding to the ripples on the surface. She stared at him for a few moments, wondering what possessed him to be so uninterested in such a wonderful place.
“Are you ready to go downstairs Ginny?” Arthur Weasley asked his daughter as he handed her a small visitor’s badge.
“Of course!” exclaimed Ginny as she attached the magical badge to the front of her jumper. She held her father’s hand and followed him to the crowded lift.
“This won’t take very long,” he said, “I just need to do a few things at the office and then we can go home.” They were on the way back from shopping in Diagon Alley when he had been called in to work. Ginny did not know the details of the situation, but she had overheard his father talking to Perkins about raids and more enchanted Muggle artifacts. She did not mind going to his office though, she never did. It was always fun to see all the people at the Ministry, and to play around and explore. She usually ran into other people’s children as well—she had many friends that she had met around the Ministry. It was her only real way of meeting children her age, and children who were female for that matter. Her six brothers did not spend much time playing girlish games with her, especially when they could do other things like try to play Quidditch on their training brooms, and play with gags from the wizard joke stores.
They continued to ascend in the elevator until finally she the elevator voice said, “Level three, Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, including the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad, Oblivator Headquarters, and Muggle-Worthy Excuse Committee.” Ginny held her father’s hand as she stepped off the lift. She followed him down the corridors to his office.
Mr. Weasley had barely opened the door before he was bombarded by Perkins, who seemed to be holding an electrical cord which looked as thought it had a flying toaster at the end. Perkins handed Mr. Weasley a load of what Ginny could only assume to be paperwork, before handing him the cord to the misbehaving toaster, and retreating back into the crowded office.
Mr. Weasley stepped into the office and swiftly tied the toaster to his chair and turned to face Ginny.
“Ginny, I need to take care of a few things right now,” he gestured towards the fluttering toaster which had pulled the chair into the air and was now madly banging the chair into the wall. “Just go run along to the waiting room, and go see if any of your friends are here, okay?”
“Okay,” Ginny replied before scampering off down the hallway. She really did not want to get in the way of his work. She turned left into an airy room full of various mismatched chairs and a small table cluttered with a variety of wizarding magazines and newspaper. She glanced at the headline article of the Quibbler—she could not read all of the words in the headline, but the picture seemed to be of a giant sea turtle holding a wand and transforming into a frightful looking creature. She rolled her eyes at the magazine, and wandered over to the corner of the room where there was a small toy chest full of ways to pass time until her father was ready. She knew that she could probably go wander the building, but she only really liked to meander around the building when she had friends to go with her.
The area by the toy chest was completely empty, except for the one bored looking blond haired boy from upstairs, who had taken out a deck of Exploding Snap cards and was throwing them at the wall, trying to get them to explode. Ginny sat down next to the toy box, and opened the lid to look for the Gobstone set that she usually played with. She liked the Gobstones at the Ministry—they were good to practice with because they didn’t squirt foul liquid like Gobstones did. Her father had told her that these were actually a Muggle version of Gobstones, and that they were called ‘merbals,’ or something like that.
The young boy next to her looked up. He seemed to be about her age, maybe older if anything. She gave him a small smile as she pulled out the Gobstones.
“Do you want to play?” she asked the boy politely. She liked to play games with other children at the Ministry; it was one of her few ways to talk to people who did not live in the Burrow. The young boy gave her a haughty look, and then stared at her for a moment. He spent several moments staring at her worn jumper and skirt, and he seemed to be debating something in his head. She gave him a questioning look, and then shrugged and started setting up the game. She looked at him again, wondering what he was thinking about. “Hmm? You playing?” She questioned again. He snapped out of his thought and wiped the arrogant look off his face.
“Sure,” he said, nodding slightly. He took the deck of Exploding Snap and threw it carelessly into the box, smirking as some of the cards made satisfying popping noises as they exploded.
“Hey!” cried Ginny, “you shouldn’t just throw those in there, put them away!” She was astonished at how lazy the boy was. Shocked, the boy looked at her as though she was crazy. “What?” asked Ginny, “haven’t you ever picked up after yourself before? Those aren’t your cards—you should put them away nicely.”
The boy continued to look at her as though what she said was the most outrageous thing he had ever heard. Put the cards away? Ridiculous, he thought—that was servant’s work. This was the first time anyone he had associated with, aside from his father, had ever demanded something so trivial. He stared at her glaring gaze for a moment more before sighing and turning back to the box to look at the state of the cards, but they had already been neatly piled and put neatly into their corner of the box.
“Seems the box already took care of it,” he said smugly, gesturing towards the magical toy box. He smirked to himself—of course the Ministry would have a toy box that cleaned up after messy children. He knew the Ministry was not low enough to make him do petty work like that. They probably just took one of their confiscated enchanted Muggle artifacts and brought it in here. He looked up at Ginny, and realized he was still smirking. Ginny glared at the boy for a moment longer and shook her head at his impudence. Who did he think he was? Finally, she decided it was not worth it to pursue the matter any further.
“My name is Ginny,” she said firmly, holding out some Gobstones to the boy. “Let’s play.” The boy took the stones into his hand, and looked her over again. He remembered his father telling him to be wary of red-heads, especially those who came in large flocks, and that were all wearing secondhand clothing. His father had said that most of these red-heads were Weasleys, and how he should not associate with them—something about ‘blood-traitors.’ Ginny certainly had flaming red hair, and a load of freckles, but he remembered that the Weasley children were all boys—all six of them. He did not remember anything about a girl Weasley. He figured it would be okay for him to play with this Ginny. Besides, if his father did not approve, he would make it clear when he found out—if he ever cared to notice.
“Nice to meet you,” he said politely, before holding out his hand and smiling slightly, “my name is Draco.” Ginny grinned and took his hand, giving it a quick childish shake before turning back to the Gobstones scattered on the floor.
“I’m going to beat you!” she claimed, giving him a silly smile and taking the first turn.
“Hey!” he said jokingly, trying to play along with her guise, “Why do you get to go first?” Ginny shrugged and then smiled impishly.
“It doesn’t matter anyway—it’s your turn now.” He took his turn and was amazed by how horrible he was at the game. It was still fun though, to play with a girl who was not a friend pre-chosen by his father.
His father always had told him ‘it’s not what you know, it’s who you know,’ and accordingly, he introduced Draco to all the most important witches and wizards. Draco knew he came from a high class family, and consequently he had many upper class friends. He oftentimes had to deal with a couple of morons, Vincent and Gregory, and he also had to visit Pansy, the spoiled brat girl. He shuddered at the thought of all the people his father forced him to play with. Well, not ‘play’ with, because he did not play games in the same way he was playing Gobstones. ‘Play’ to his father was sitting in a stuffy room with his ‘friends’ and talking about whatever his father told him to talk about.
He just wished that he could be a normal child, and talk to who he wanted to talk to. That was why he was up in this waiting room to begin with, he remembered. His father had told him to go make conversation with some of the Ministry officials—but what did a seven year old have to say to a bunch of old, worn-out wizards? As a result, Draco often found himself in the various waiting rooms on the different floors of the Ministry, playing games by himself. His father was never quick at the Ministry anyway; he always seemed to have a million things to do, and tons of people to talk to. Draco gazed intently at the wall, wondering why he was even here to begin with—suddenly, a ginger haired girl popped into his picture, blocking his view of the wall.
“Helloooo—aren’t you going to play?” she inquired in a cute voice, smiling and showing off her collection of Gobstones. He shook his head at his own meager pile, before taking his turn.
“So, Ginny, why are you here?” he asked, trying to make some polite conversation. He was curious as to what other children his age were like, besides his father’s acquaintances.
“Umm… My dad works here, he’s in his office, sorting some stuff out. I come here a couple times a month with him, I like it here.” She said, taking her turn with the Gobstones. “It’s one of the few places I can go and meet other people my age—my parents don’t understand Muggle primary school, so I’m going to have to go to school at home until I’m old enough to go to Hogwarts. Your turn.” She gestured at the Gobstones on the floor.
“I know how you feel,” he said, “I only meet people when my father brings them to my house, or when I go to visit people. There aren’t places to meet anyone my age. I can’t wait until I can go to Durmstrang.”
“Durmstrang? Where is Durmstrang?” Ginny asked.
“Umm… I’m not sure,” said Draco, biting his tongue and thinking hard. “I think it’s somewhere up north…?”
“Oh… Well, my parents both went to Hogwarts, so I’m pretty sure I’m going there. It doesn’t matter now though, because I don’t start school for 5 years.”
“My father went to Hogwarts, but he says Durmstrang is better. My mother doesn’t want me to go so far away though,” Draco said, fingering a Gobstone in his hand. “I figure it doesn’t matter right now, because I’m only seven. It’s too young to decide.”
“You’re seven?” questioned Ginny, “I’m only six years old.” She smiled at him. “It’s nice to meet someone my age.”
“Yea… It is…” said Draco, looking at her wonderingly. How could she be so calm and collected around someone she did not even know that well? His parents always told him about the importance of class and the ‘right’ people, but Ginny did not seem to care. It was nice being able to act like a child, rather than act like the proper son of Lucius Malfoy. He was only seven, and already he had to sit though his father’s long, tedious dinners with important guests. He had to meet and greet them, and he was never allowed to act up or complain. Ginny seemed to be carefree, and it didn’t seem to matter when he was a pureblood or a Muggle-born, or even a squib.
They went on playing the game for a few more minutes before a short, pleasant looking witch came into the doorway.
“Ginevra?” she asked, looking at Ginny, “your father is ready to leave.”
“I’ll be right there,” Ginny responded. She looked back at Draco, “sorry, I have to leave now. It was really great meeting you.” She gave him a big smile before continuing, “Hopefully I’ll see you again! Maybe you’ll go to Hogwarts instead of Durmstrang. Or I’ll see you here sometime. Or maybe somewhere else—” She stopped suddenly, realizing that she had been rambling, and if she did not even know if he wanted to see her again. She looked at him expectantly, waiting for some sort of response.
Draco looked baffled for a moment, surprised at how kind she was to him, as though she realized that he did not talk to many people, and she wanted to help him. He gave her a genuine smile, and nodded, “I’ll see you again, sometime.” He waved at her, and watched as she turned and scampered out of the door.
He turned back to the scattered Gobstones on the floor, and scooped them up into their pouch, and neatly placed the pouch back into the trunk before heading downstairs to find his father.
~ * ~
Ginny held her father’s hand as they returned to the Atrium and took the Floo Network back to her house. She thought about her new friend that she had made that day—he was not like her other friends. He seemed to be older and more mature, even though they were only one year apart. He was almost snobbish at first, she remembered, but he had lightened up a lot while they were playing. She smiled at the thought. It was fun to play with someone who was not as wild and rambunctious as everyone else she knew.
Ginny stepped out of the fireplace in the Burrow and dusted herself off. She looked around—there did not seem to be anyone around. Ginny was wondering where all her brothers were when suddenly she heard a wild cheer from the backyard. She wandered over to the back window and looked out to see her six brothers flying around wildly on broomstick, playing their own modified version of Quidditch.
Her brother Charlie was soaring around on his broomstick, practice all sorts of tricks and dives. Bill, Fred and George were busy passing around a Quaffle, and her brother Percy was just aimlessly flying around, not paying attention to anyone else. Her brother Ron was only a year older than she was—like Draco, she remembered. Ron was testing out his training broom, making awkward turns and narrowly missing fences as he meandered slowly around the yard.
Ginny waved to her mother, who was supervising her sons. Arthur Weasley came out of the house, and went to go join Molly. Ginny smiled as she watched her family have fun. Despite the fact she was the only girl, and despite the fact that she did not really know anyone else her age, she loved her family, and that was all that really mattered.
~*~
Draco wandered aimlessly around the Ministry. Once Ginny had left, he had decided to go find his father, only to realize he had no idea where his father had gone. Draco remembered he had originally come to see someone about a raid of some sort, but then he had planned to go talk to various people, including the Minister of Magic himself.
Draco sighed, and got onto the lift. His father would find him when it was time to go home, and in the meantime he might as well entertain himself. Riding the lift up and down was a good way to kill time; however, it was only a matter of time before he got tired of that stupid voice telling him what floor he was on.
He was just about to start going up on the lift, when suddenly his father swept up besides him from somewhere down the hall.
“There you are, Draco.” He said crisply, taking Draco in a firm hold by the shoulder as the lift doors closed and they started rising towards the Atrium. “I assume you kept yourself busy,” he stated, saying it in a way that clearly meant if Draco had done anything wrong, then he would be severely punished. Lucius Malfoy expected his son to uphold the honor of the Malfoy name, even at the young age of seven. Draco stared straight ahead and curtly nodded his head to acknowledge his father, an expressionless look on his face—but inside, he was wishing that he could still be downstairs in the waiting room, losing at Gobstones and having friendly conversation with Ginny.
~*~
"Ginny? Are you ready go to?" asked Molly Weasley, as she frantically tried to get her six sons ready to leave. They were all going to Diagon Alley. Bill, Charlie and Percy needed to get school supplies for another year of Hogwarts. It was Percy's first year at Hogwarts, and he had received many hand-me-downs from Bill and Charlie, but he still needed some new supplies, as did Bill and Charlie.
Ginny was excited--she didn't get to go to Diagon Alley very often. She could not remember the last time she had been there. Probably with her mother and father to go to Gringotts sometime last year. She loved window shopping in Diagon Alley, and dreaming of all the things she would get if her family had enough money.
Soon, all seven Weasley children and both parents were ready to go. They took turns grabbing handfuls of Floo powder and stepping into the fireplace.
"Diagon Alley!" Ginny screamed at she felt the magic of the fire envelop her. She stepped out of the fire grate in busy Diagon Alley.
Ginny looked out around Diagon Alley, she could not wait until she was old enough to go roaming around by herself. Not for a couple more years, she thought sadly. In the meantime, she would have to trail along with someone else.
Percy set off with his mother to go buy school supplies and books that Charlie and Bill had not needed during their years at Hogwarts. Fred and George grabbed Ron and immediately set off towards the joke shop, no doubt looking for more gags and tricks to play on people.
Suddenly, Ginny found herself all alone with Charlie as her father decided to go stop off at Gringotts to get more money. She watched her father’s receding back longingly, wishing she could go with him. Resignedly, she looked around for Charlie, but realized that she was alone. Charlie had found some of his friends and run off, and now she was standing all alone in the middle of Diagon Alley.
~*~
Draco Malfoy proudly followed his father around Diagon Alley. He often went to Diagon Alley with his father--well, not really with his father. Usually his father brought him, and then left Draco alone to wander Diagon Alley while he went to go do business in Knockturn Alley.
Sure enough, after stopped by Gringott's, Lucius Malfoy turned to his son, "Draco, I have to go to Knockturn Alley for a little while. Stay out of trouble." Lucius handed his son a small sac full of Galleons, and then quickly turned and strode away towards Knockturn Alley.
Draco sighed--he wanted so badly to make his father happy, but his father was never around. Draco was just expected to uphold the Malfoy name, but his father never commended him for doing so—but he was often punished for every little mistake he made. He had learned at an early age (earlier than his seven years) to always accept whatever his father said, and to never cry. 'Crying is a sign of weakness,' his father had told him. Draco had learned to mask all his feelings behind an expressionless face, or behind his classic smirk. He rarely let his guard down, in fact, he could not remember the last time he had shown his true feelings—except maybe with Ginny.
Draco shook all the bad thoughts from his head, and looked around him. There were so many places to go, and yet he had been to all of them on many occasions. Diagon Alley was really starting to lose it’s appeal to him. He looked at all the people bustling around—no one he knew, of course. All the people he knew were probably with his father in Knockturn Alley. He sighed, and headed over to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor and ordered an ice cream sundae.
Sitting outside on a fence, he surveyed all the people in the town. It was obviously almost time for school to start, because there was a huge amount of student aged children running around with huge stacks of textbooks and new robes and other various items.
Draco could not wait for school to start--he wanted to make his father proud and show him how smart he could be. However, Draco still had a few years to wait before he was old enough for school. Durmstrang seemed like a dream--if he was at school, he would not have to deal with his father every day. Draco was greatly looking forward to this.
Draco looked up the street towards Quality Quidditch Supplies, his favorite store to wander through. His father had told him that he would be receiving private Quidditch lessons starting next year. Draco smiled to himself--he could not wait to go to school and show off all his skills. He knew that all the wizarding schools had Quidditch teams—Draco knew he would play for one of the school teams, someday.
He finished his sundae and wandered towards Quality Quidditch Supplies. He turned towards the newest racing brooms, and reached out to touch them. They were so sleek and beautiful--he knew his father would buy him the best racing broom when it was time. He smiled to himself as he imagined himself flying around and scoring goals on the Quidditch pitch. Or grabbing the golden snitch and holding it triumphantly over his head, making his father proud. Like that would ever happen, he reminded himself. His father would never care, as long as Draco was the best, and if he wasn't the best, Draco knew he would suffer.
Draco saw a flash of ginger hair to his right. Turning in that direction, he saw a very scared looking Ginny, frantically looking around for someone.
“Lost?” he asked smugly, a smirk on his face.
“Draco!” Ginny cried, and gave him a huge hug. Draco stood there in shock--he could not remember the last time someone had hugged him. Maybe his mother had at some point, but it definitely was not often, and it was never the same as that warm squeeze that Ginny had just given him. Whenever he hugged his parents, it was always just a cold grasp, with no feeling whatsoever. Draco had no idea what to do, so he just stood there, and let her hug him. She let go after a few moments, and took in the shocked expression on his face.
“Oh… Sorry,” she started, looking crestfallen. “I came here with my family, and now I can’t find them. You’re the only person I know. I—I’m sorry… I’ll just go look for them.” She started sadly off in the other direction, looking around her for signs of her family.
Draco stood, confused, for a moment, debating whether to help her to leave her. His father probably would not approve, but she looked so lost and alone, and he could not find it in himself to leave her standing there by herself. She was obviously not used to being left alone in the middle of busy streets like he was. Draco let down his guard a little, and reached out to grab her arm. “Hey,” he said, “let’s go look for them together.” He gave her the best smile he could muster, and waited expectantly for her response.
“I—I don’t want to bother you,” said Ginny, “I mean, if you don’t like me, then…” She trailed off into her thought, and then started glancing around Diagon Alley, probably looking for her parents, Draco figured. Draco did not really know what to say to her—it sounded like she wanted to be friends. He became happy at the thought—friends—he had always wanted a friend that his dad had not chosen for him. He smiled inwardly and turned towards Ginny, only to discover she was already walking away down the street.
“Ginny!” he called out, “I mean it, okay? We can look for them together.” He smiled and held out his hand as a welcoming gesture. “By the way, how often do you go to the Ministry? We should play games more often.” A smile lit up Ginny’s face, and she reached out for Draco’s hand. They playfully shook hands, and then began to survey the street again. “Which way?” he asked.
Ginny shrugged. “I think my dad went to Gringott’s.” The two of them began to head up the street towards Gringott’s, laughing at all the strange people and window shopping the whole way. Draco could not remember the last time he had had so much fun with someone. She was pure and innocent, just as child should be. She seemed to have no worries or cares—nothing like the life his father made for him. Suddenly, he looked up and saw his father walking down the street from Knockturn Alley.
“Ginny? I have to go, my father is coming,” he told her apologetically.
“Oh, it’s okay, I see my father up the road. Thanks Draco! I’ll be sure to look for you next time I go to work with my father.” She smiled at him again, and gave him a quick hug before running off down the street towards Gringott’s.
Draco looked towards his father, but his father had not yet seen him. He looked in the direction Ginny had just run, but she was already out of sight. Draco shrugged and then quickly walked over to join his father so they could both head home.
~*~
Ginny happily ran up to her father, and hugged him. Nothing could make her less happy right now. She had found someone to talk to, and he was actually pretty nice after he warmed up to her. She hoped that she would see him again at the Ministry—or maybe he would go to Hogwarts someday.
Over the next few years, she saw Draco periodically at the Ministry, and sometimes in Diagon Alley. She went to the Ministry with her father as much as she could, and likewise, he seemed to always be there whenever she wanted to play. As they became more adept in writing legibly, they had started to correspond by writing letters as well. He would send his eagle owl to The Burrow, and then she would send a letter back with the same owl. They never learned each other’s surnames, but it was never necessary. They had found a friendship that was not based on names or class or purity of blood. Every time they saw each other, they always had fun playing games and talking. They often had happy, lighthearted conversations, but sometimes he would tell her his problems and how his father treated him, and she would comfort him. She was always there for him when he needed her, and likewise, he always helped her. They were the best of friends, but no one knew about their friendship. Their parents never found them playing together at the Ministry. In fact, Ginny was not sure if Draco had ever told his parents about her. She had sort-of told her father—well, she had told him that she had friends at the Ministry. Draco was more than a friend though; he was her best friend, and one of her only true friends. He had stolen her first kiss—not a real kiss, but just a cute peck after they had finished a raging game of Exploding Snap and they had collapsed into laughter on the floor. They knew more about each other than anyone else, and their friendship was unbreakable. Nothing would ever tear them apart.
Or so they thought…
A/N: I’m going to write about all 5 years (behind the scenes), and I’ll post them as I do them. I might do a sixth year after too, unless the 6th book is published by then (yea right). Anyway, please leave comments on if you like the idea, and I’ll try to get the next part posted as soon as possible. Thanks!
She walked proudly around the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic, before sitting next to the Fountain of Magical Brethren to wait for her father to return with a visitor’s pass for her. She loved visiting her father’s workplace, even though she had to wait in the Atrium every single time while he obtained permission for her to enter.
Ginny looked around the Atrium, watching as people popped in and out of the Floo fireplaces. Her gaze strayed to the golden symbols moving across the peacock blue ceiling of the Atrium. She always loved to look at all the beautiful things in the Atrium, and to see all the strange people who worked there.
An unusual splash broke her thoughts, and her attention turned to a young boy with white-blond hair who was playing in the fountain with what was no doubt a training wand. He was obviously bored, probably waiting for someone to get him. He poked his wand into the water and swished it around as though absentminded stirring a cauldron and the slapped at the water a few times, adding to the ripples on the surface. She stared at him for a few moments, wondering what possessed him to be so uninterested in such a wonderful place.
“Are you ready to go downstairs Ginny?” Arthur Weasley asked his daughter as he handed her a small visitor’s badge.
“Of course!” exclaimed Ginny as she attached the magical badge to the front of her jumper. She held her father’s hand and followed him to the crowded lift.
“This won’t take very long,” he said, “I just need to do a few things at the office and then we can go home.” They were on the way back from shopping in Diagon Alley when he had been called in to work. Ginny did not know the details of the situation, but she had overheard his father talking to Perkins about raids and more enchanted Muggle artifacts. She did not mind going to his office though, she never did. It was always fun to see all the people at the Ministry, and to play around and explore. She usually ran into other people’s children as well—she had many friends that she had met around the Ministry. It was her only real way of meeting children her age, and children who were female for that matter. Her six brothers did not spend much time playing girlish games with her, especially when they could do other things like try to play Quidditch on their training brooms, and play with gags from the wizard joke stores.
They continued to ascend in the elevator until finally she the elevator voice said, “Level three, Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, including the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad, Oblivator Headquarters, and Muggle-Worthy Excuse Committee.” Ginny held her father’s hand as she stepped off the lift. She followed him down the corridors to his office.
Mr. Weasley had barely opened the door before he was bombarded by Perkins, who seemed to be holding an electrical cord which looked as thought it had a flying toaster at the end. Perkins handed Mr. Weasley a load of what Ginny could only assume to be paperwork, before handing him the cord to the misbehaving toaster, and retreating back into the crowded office.
Mr. Weasley stepped into the office and swiftly tied the toaster to his chair and turned to face Ginny.
“Ginny, I need to take care of a few things right now,” he gestured towards the fluttering toaster which had pulled the chair into the air and was now madly banging the chair into the wall. “Just go run along to the waiting room, and go see if any of your friends are here, okay?”
“Okay,” Ginny replied before scampering off down the hallway. She really did not want to get in the way of his work. She turned left into an airy room full of various mismatched chairs and a small table cluttered with a variety of wizarding magazines and newspaper. She glanced at the headline article of the Quibbler—she could not read all of the words in the headline, but the picture seemed to be of a giant sea turtle holding a wand and transforming into a frightful looking creature. She rolled her eyes at the magazine, and wandered over to the corner of the room where there was a small toy chest full of ways to pass time until her father was ready. She knew that she could probably go wander the building, but she only really liked to meander around the building when she had friends to go with her.
The area by the toy chest was completely empty, except for the one bored looking blond haired boy from upstairs, who had taken out a deck of Exploding Snap cards and was throwing them at the wall, trying to get them to explode. Ginny sat down next to the toy box, and opened the lid to look for the Gobstone set that she usually played with. She liked the Gobstones at the Ministry—they were good to practice with because they didn’t squirt foul liquid like Gobstones did. Her father had told her that these were actually a Muggle version of Gobstones, and that they were called ‘merbals,’ or something like that.
The young boy next to her looked up. He seemed to be about her age, maybe older if anything. She gave him a small smile as she pulled out the Gobstones.
“Do you want to play?” she asked the boy politely. She liked to play games with other children at the Ministry; it was one of her few ways to talk to people who did not live in the Burrow. The young boy gave her a haughty look, and then stared at her for a moment. He spent several moments staring at her worn jumper and skirt, and he seemed to be debating something in his head. She gave him a questioning look, and then shrugged and started setting up the game. She looked at him again, wondering what he was thinking about. “Hmm? You playing?” She questioned again. He snapped out of his thought and wiped the arrogant look off his face.
“Sure,” he said, nodding slightly. He took the deck of Exploding Snap and threw it carelessly into the box, smirking as some of the cards made satisfying popping noises as they exploded.
“Hey!” cried Ginny, “you shouldn’t just throw those in there, put them away!” She was astonished at how lazy the boy was. Shocked, the boy looked at her as though she was crazy. “What?” asked Ginny, “haven’t you ever picked up after yourself before? Those aren’t your cards—you should put them away nicely.”
The boy continued to look at her as though what she said was the most outrageous thing he had ever heard. Put the cards away? Ridiculous, he thought—that was servant’s work. This was the first time anyone he had associated with, aside from his father, had ever demanded something so trivial. He stared at her glaring gaze for a moment more before sighing and turning back to the box to look at the state of the cards, but they had already been neatly piled and put neatly into their corner of the box.
“Seems the box already took care of it,” he said smugly, gesturing towards the magical toy box. He smirked to himself—of course the Ministry would have a toy box that cleaned up after messy children. He knew the Ministry was not low enough to make him do petty work like that. They probably just took one of their confiscated enchanted Muggle artifacts and brought it in here. He looked up at Ginny, and realized he was still smirking. Ginny glared at the boy for a moment longer and shook her head at his impudence. Who did he think he was? Finally, she decided it was not worth it to pursue the matter any further.
“My name is Ginny,” she said firmly, holding out some Gobstones to the boy. “Let’s play.” The boy took the stones into his hand, and looked her over again. He remembered his father telling him to be wary of red-heads, especially those who came in large flocks, and that were all wearing secondhand clothing. His father had said that most of these red-heads were Weasleys, and how he should not associate with them—something about ‘blood-traitors.’ Ginny certainly had flaming red hair, and a load of freckles, but he remembered that the Weasley children were all boys—all six of them. He did not remember anything about a girl Weasley. He figured it would be okay for him to play with this Ginny. Besides, if his father did not approve, he would make it clear when he found out—if he ever cared to notice.
“Nice to meet you,” he said politely, before holding out his hand and smiling slightly, “my name is Draco.” Ginny grinned and took his hand, giving it a quick childish shake before turning back to the Gobstones scattered on the floor.
“I’m going to beat you!” she claimed, giving him a silly smile and taking the first turn.
“Hey!” he said jokingly, trying to play along with her guise, “Why do you get to go first?” Ginny shrugged and then smiled impishly.
“It doesn’t matter anyway—it’s your turn now.” He took his turn and was amazed by how horrible he was at the game. It was still fun though, to play with a girl who was not a friend pre-chosen by his father.
His father always had told him ‘it’s not what you know, it’s who you know,’ and accordingly, he introduced Draco to all the most important witches and wizards. Draco knew he came from a high class family, and consequently he had many upper class friends. He oftentimes had to deal with a couple of morons, Vincent and Gregory, and he also had to visit Pansy, the spoiled brat girl. He shuddered at the thought of all the people his father forced him to play with. Well, not ‘play’ with, because he did not play games in the same way he was playing Gobstones. ‘Play’ to his father was sitting in a stuffy room with his ‘friends’ and talking about whatever his father told him to talk about.
He just wished that he could be a normal child, and talk to who he wanted to talk to. That was why he was up in this waiting room to begin with, he remembered. His father had told him to go make conversation with some of the Ministry officials—but what did a seven year old have to say to a bunch of old, worn-out wizards? As a result, Draco often found himself in the various waiting rooms on the different floors of the Ministry, playing games by himself. His father was never quick at the Ministry anyway; he always seemed to have a million things to do, and tons of people to talk to. Draco gazed intently at the wall, wondering why he was even here to begin with—suddenly, a ginger haired girl popped into his picture, blocking his view of the wall.
“Helloooo—aren’t you going to play?” she inquired in a cute voice, smiling and showing off her collection of Gobstones. He shook his head at his own meager pile, before taking his turn.
“So, Ginny, why are you here?” he asked, trying to make some polite conversation. He was curious as to what other children his age were like, besides his father’s acquaintances.
“Umm… My dad works here, he’s in his office, sorting some stuff out. I come here a couple times a month with him, I like it here.” She said, taking her turn with the Gobstones. “It’s one of the few places I can go and meet other people my age—my parents don’t understand Muggle primary school, so I’m going to have to go to school at home until I’m old enough to go to Hogwarts. Your turn.” She gestured at the Gobstones on the floor.
“I know how you feel,” he said, “I only meet people when my father brings them to my house, or when I go to visit people. There aren’t places to meet anyone my age. I can’t wait until I can go to Durmstrang.”
“Durmstrang? Where is Durmstrang?” Ginny asked.
“Umm… I’m not sure,” said Draco, biting his tongue and thinking hard. “I think it’s somewhere up north…?”
“Oh… Well, my parents both went to Hogwarts, so I’m pretty sure I’m going there. It doesn’t matter now though, because I don’t start school for 5 years.”
“My father went to Hogwarts, but he says Durmstrang is better. My mother doesn’t want me to go so far away though,” Draco said, fingering a Gobstone in his hand. “I figure it doesn’t matter right now, because I’m only seven. It’s too young to decide.”
“You’re seven?” questioned Ginny, “I’m only six years old.” She smiled at him. “It’s nice to meet someone my age.”
“Yea… It is…” said Draco, looking at her wonderingly. How could she be so calm and collected around someone she did not even know that well? His parents always told him about the importance of class and the ‘right’ people, but Ginny did not seem to care. It was nice being able to act like a child, rather than act like the proper son of Lucius Malfoy. He was only seven, and already he had to sit though his father’s long, tedious dinners with important guests. He had to meet and greet them, and he was never allowed to act up or complain. Ginny seemed to be carefree, and it didn’t seem to matter when he was a pureblood or a Muggle-born, or even a squib.
They went on playing the game for a few more minutes before a short, pleasant looking witch came into the doorway.
“Ginevra?” she asked, looking at Ginny, “your father is ready to leave.”
“I’ll be right there,” Ginny responded. She looked back at Draco, “sorry, I have to leave now. It was really great meeting you.” She gave him a big smile before continuing, “Hopefully I’ll see you again! Maybe you’ll go to Hogwarts instead of Durmstrang. Or I’ll see you here sometime. Or maybe somewhere else—” She stopped suddenly, realizing that she had been rambling, and if she did not even know if he wanted to see her again. She looked at him expectantly, waiting for some sort of response.
Draco looked baffled for a moment, surprised at how kind she was to him, as though she realized that he did not talk to many people, and she wanted to help him. He gave her a genuine smile, and nodded, “I’ll see you again, sometime.” He waved at her, and watched as she turned and scampered out of the door.
He turned back to the scattered Gobstones on the floor, and scooped them up into their pouch, and neatly placed the pouch back into the trunk before heading downstairs to find his father.
~ * ~
Ginny held her father’s hand as they returned to the Atrium and took the Floo Network back to her house. She thought about her new friend that she had made that day—he was not like her other friends. He seemed to be older and more mature, even though they were only one year apart. He was almost snobbish at first, she remembered, but he had lightened up a lot while they were playing. She smiled at the thought. It was fun to play with someone who was not as wild and rambunctious as everyone else she knew.
Ginny stepped out of the fireplace in the Burrow and dusted herself off. She looked around—there did not seem to be anyone around. Ginny was wondering where all her brothers were when suddenly she heard a wild cheer from the backyard. She wandered over to the back window and looked out to see her six brothers flying around wildly on broomstick, playing their own modified version of Quidditch.
Her brother Charlie was soaring around on his broomstick, practice all sorts of tricks and dives. Bill, Fred and George were busy passing around a Quaffle, and her brother Percy was just aimlessly flying around, not paying attention to anyone else. Her brother Ron was only a year older than she was—like Draco, she remembered. Ron was testing out his training broom, making awkward turns and narrowly missing fences as he meandered slowly around the yard.
Ginny waved to her mother, who was supervising her sons. Arthur Weasley came out of the house, and went to go join Molly. Ginny smiled as she watched her family have fun. Despite the fact she was the only girl, and despite the fact that she did not really know anyone else her age, she loved her family, and that was all that really mattered.
~*~
Draco wandered aimlessly around the Ministry. Once Ginny had left, he had decided to go find his father, only to realize he had no idea where his father had gone. Draco remembered he had originally come to see someone about a raid of some sort, but then he had planned to go talk to various people, including the Minister of Magic himself.
Draco sighed, and got onto the lift. His father would find him when it was time to go home, and in the meantime he might as well entertain himself. Riding the lift up and down was a good way to kill time; however, it was only a matter of time before he got tired of that stupid voice telling him what floor he was on.
He was just about to start going up on the lift, when suddenly his father swept up besides him from somewhere down the hall.
“There you are, Draco.” He said crisply, taking Draco in a firm hold by the shoulder as the lift doors closed and they started rising towards the Atrium. “I assume you kept yourself busy,” he stated, saying it in a way that clearly meant if Draco had done anything wrong, then he would be severely punished. Lucius Malfoy expected his son to uphold the honor of the Malfoy name, even at the young age of seven. Draco stared straight ahead and curtly nodded his head to acknowledge his father, an expressionless look on his face—but inside, he was wishing that he could still be downstairs in the waiting room, losing at Gobstones and having friendly conversation with Ginny.
~*~
"Ginny? Are you ready go to?" asked Molly Weasley, as she frantically tried to get her six sons ready to leave. They were all going to Diagon Alley. Bill, Charlie and Percy needed to get school supplies for another year of Hogwarts. It was Percy's first year at Hogwarts, and he had received many hand-me-downs from Bill and Charlie, but he still needed some new supplies, as did Bill and Charlie.
Ginny was excited--she didn't get to go to Diagon Alley very often. She could not remember the last time she had been there. Probably with her mother and father to go to Gringotts sometime last year. She loved window shopping in Diagon Alley, and dreaming of all the things she would get if her family had enough money.
Soon, all seven Weasley children and both parents were ready to go. They took turns grabbing handfuls of Floo powder and stepping into the fireplace.
"Diagon Alley!" Ginny screamed at she felt the magic of the fire envelop her. She stepped out of the fire grate in busy Diagon Alley.
Ginny looked out around Diagon Alley, she could not wait until she was old enough to go roaming around by herself. Not for a couple more years, she thought sadly. In the meantime, she would have to trail along with someone else.
Percy set off with his mother to go buy school supplies and books that Charlie and Bill had not needed during their years at Hogwarts. Fred and George grabbed Ron and immediately set off towards the joke shop, no doubt looking for more gags and tricks to play on people.
Suddenly, Ginny found herself all alone with Charlie as her father decided to go stop off at Gringotts to get more money. She watched her father’s receding back longingly, wishing she could go with him. Resignedly, she looked around for Charlie, but realized that she was alone. Charlie had found some of his friends and run off, and now she was standing all alone in the middle of Diagon Alley.
~*~
Draco Malfoy proudly followed his father around Diagon Alley. He often went to Diagon Alley with his father--well, not really with his father. Usually his father brought him, and then left Draco alone to wander Diagon Alley while he went to go do business in Knockturn Alley.
Sure enough, after stopped by Gringott's, Lucius Malfoy turned to his son, "Draco, I have to go to Knockturn Alley for a little while. Stay out of trouble." Lucius handed his son a small sac full of Galleons, and then quickly turned and strode away towards Knockturn Alley.
Draco sighed--he wanted so badly to make his father happy, but his father was never around. Draco was just expected to uphold the Malfoy name, but his father never commended him for doing so—but he was often punished for every little mistake he made. He had learned at an early age (earlier than his seven years) to always accept whatever his father said, and to never cry. 'Crying is a sign of weakness,' his father had told him. Draco had learned to mask all his feelings behind an expressionless face, or behind his classic smirk. He rarely let his guard down, in fact, he could not remember the last time he had shown his true feelings—except maybe with Ginny.
Draco shook all the bad thoughts from his head, and looked around him. There were so many places to go, and yet he had been to all of them on many occasions. Diagon Alley was really starting to lose it’s appeal to him. He looked at all the people bustling around—no one he knew, of course. All the people he knew were probably with his father in Knockturn Alley. He sighed, and headed over to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor and ordered an ice cream sundae.
Sitting outside on a fence, he surveyed all the people in the town. It was obviously almost time for school to start, because there was a huge amount of student aged children running around with huge stacks of textbooks and new robes and other various items.
Draco could not wait for school to start--he wanted to make his father proud and show him how smart he could be. However, Draco still had a few years to wait before he was old enough for school. Durmstrang seemed like a dream--if he was at school, he would not have to deal with his father every day. Draco was greatly looking forward to this.
Draco looked up the street towards Quality Quidditch Supplies, his favorite store to wander through. His father had told him that he would be receiving private Quidditch lessons starting next year. Draco smiled to himself--he could not wait to go to school and show off all his skills. He knew that all the wizarding schools had Quidditch teams—Draco knew he would play for one of the school teams, someday.
He finished his sundae and wandered towards Quality Quidditch Supplies. He turned towards the newest racing brooms, and reached out to touch them. They were so sleek and beautiful--he knew his father would buy him the best racing broom when it was time. He smiled to himself as he imagined himself flying around and scoring goals on the Quidditch pitch. Or grabbing the golden snitch and holding it triumphantly over his head, making his father proud. Like that would ever happen, he reminded himself. His father would never care, as long as Draco was the best, and if he wasn't the best, Draco knew he would suffer.
Draco saw a flash of ginger hair to his right. Turning in that direction, he saw a very scared looking Ginny, frantically looking around for someone.
“Lost?” he asked smugly, a smirk on his face.
“Draco!” Ginny cried, and gave him a huge hug. Draco stood there in shock--he could not remember the last time someone had hugged him. Maybe his mother had at some point, but it definitely was not often, and it was never the same as that warm squeeze that Ginny had just given him. Whenever he hugged his parents, it was always just a cold grasp, with no feeling whatsoever. Draco had no idea what to do, so he just stood there, and let her hug him. She let go after a few moments, and took in the shocked expression on his face.
“Oh… Sorry,” she started, looking crestfallen. “I came here with my family, and now I can’t find them. You’re the only person I know. I—I’m sorry… I’ll just go look for them.” She started sadly off in the other direction, looking around her for signs of her family.
Draco stood, confused, for a moment, debating whether to help her to leave her. His father probably would not approve, but she looked so lost and alone, and he could not find it in himself to leave her standing there by herself. She was obviously not used to being left alone in the middle of busy streets like he was. Draco let down his guard a little, and reached out to grab her arm. “Hey,” he said, “let’s go look for them together.” He gave her the best smile he could muster, and waited expectantly for her response.
“I—I don’t want to bother you,” said Ginny, “I mean, if you don’t like me, then…” She trailed off into her thought, and then started glancing around Diagon Alley, probably looking for her parents, Draco figured. Draco did not really know what to say to her—it sounded like she wanted to be friends. He became happy at the thought—friends—he had always wanted a friend that his dad had not chosen for him. He smiled inwardly and turned towards Ginny, only to discover she was already walking away down the street.
“Ginny!” he called out, “I mean it, okay? We can look for them together.” He smiled and held out his hand as a welcoming gesture. “By the way, how often do you go to the Ministry? We should play games more often.” A smile lit up Ginny’s face, and she reached out for Draco’s hand. They playfully shook hands, and then began to survey the street again. “Which way?” he asked.
Ginny shrugged. “I think my dad went to Gringott’s.” The two of them began to head up the street towards Gringott’s, laughing at all the strange people and window shopping the whole way. Draco could not remember the last time he had had so much fun with someone. She was pure and innocent, just as child should be. She seemed to have no worries or cares—nothing like the life his father made for him. Suddenly, he looked up and saw his father walking down the street from Knockturn Alley.
“Ginny? I have to go, my father is coming,” he told her apologetically.
“Oh, it’s okay, I see my father up the road. Thanks Draco! I’ll be sure to look for you next time I go to work with my father.” She smiled at him again, and gave him a quick hug before running off down the street towards Gringott’s.
Draco looked towards his father, but his father had not yet seen him. He looked in the direction Ginny had just run, but she was already out of sight. Draco shrugged and then quickly walked over to join his father so they could both head home.
~*~
Ginny happily ran up to her father, and hugged him. Nothing could make her less happy right now. She had found someone to talk to, and he was actually pretty nice after he warmed up to her. She hoped that she would see him again at the Ministry—or maybe he would go to Hogwarts someday.
Over the next few years, she saw Draco periodically at the Ministry, and sometimes in Diagon Alley. She went to the Ministry with her father as much as she could, and likewise, he seemed to always be there whenever she wanted to play. As they became more adept in writing legibly, they had started to correspond by writing letters as well. He would send his eagle owl to The Burrow, and then she would send a letter back with the same owl. They never learned each other’s surnames, but it was never necessary. They had found a friendship that was not based on names or class or purity of blood. Every time they saw each other, they always had fun playing games and talking. They often had happy, lighthearted conversations, but sometimes he would tell her his problems and how his father treated him, and she would comfort him. She was always there for him when he needed her, and likewise, he always helped her. They were the best of friends, but no one knew about their friendship. Their parents never found them playing together at the Ministry. In fact, Ginny was not sure if Draco had ever told his parents about her. She had sort-of told her father—well, she had told him that she had friends at the Ministry. Draco was more than a friend though; he was her best friend, and one of her only true friends. He had stolen her first kiss—not a real kiss, but just a cute peck after they had finished a raging game of Exploding Snap and they had collapsed into laughter on the floor. They knew more about each other than anyone else, and their friendship was unbreakable. Nothing would ever tear them apart.
Or so they thought…
A/N: I’m going to write about all 5 years (behind the scenes), and I’ll post them as I do them. I might do a sixth year after too, unless the 6th book is published by then (yea right). Anyway, please leave comments on if you like the idea, and I’ll try to get the next part posted as soon as possible. Thanks!
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