Harry Potter Quickies: Installment 1
Location: Diagon Alley
Character(s): Ginny Weasley and Lavender Brown
Word count: 500 words
Beggars can't be choosers
"Hello Lavender," Ginny said catching her eye as she passed her by in Flourish and Blotts. Lavender looked at her and then almost immediately glanced dead at her hair straightaway.
"Weasley?" she said confusedly as if searching her memory for an exact name. She blinked suddenly. "Ginny!" she said clasping Ginny's hand in both of hers. "Hi!"
"Looking for your school books too are you?" she said discreetly taking her hand back.
"My mum and dad are tailoring my robes at Madam Malkin's and sent me off to browse around. I'm sooo excited to start term this year. How about you?"
"As long as Harry doesn't drag us headfirst into more obvious danger," she chortled. "So Lavender, how was your summer?"
"Please, call me Lav. All my friends do."
She blinked. "Okay…Lav. How was your summer?"
"I flew in a parade, the one going over Bristol a month ago?" She sighed in content. "It was so much fun. My only third time on a broom really, my dad was practically leading me around. I saw one of your brothers there too, I'm sure."
"I couldn't tell you which one. But, keep at it. Keep practicing and you could possibly be one of our aides on the team or something."
"Yes, maybe. Promise to show me how you do your hair?"
"Sure," she said a bit warily trying taper off conversation by tuning her attention back to the shelves.
"Ginger is such an attractive color of hair," Lavender went on. "You're so lucky it's such a strong gene that runs in your family, I'd kill for hair like this."
Ginny instinctively ducked underneath her as she reached for the top of her head. "Yes, well, I can hear my mother calling for me, we're nearly done here. I'll see you at school." Ginny tried to excuse herself, only for Lavender to grasp her hand.
"Could you just do one thing for me Gin-Gin, please?"
"Yes?" she said trying not to grimace at being called that.
"Please, please, please get in a good word about me?" she said clasping her hands desperately.
"To who, exactly?"
"Your brother."
She furrowed her brow. "But…I thought…" She sighed. "Which one?"
"Percy? I've always fancied the authoritive, bookish type."
Ginny glanced about to anywhere else in the bookstore besides Lavender, happening to catch sight of a stack of Gilderoy Lockhart's old autobiographies marked for clearance underneath a coating of dust. "Percy's…with Penelope, yes—Clearwater."
"Oh. Fred and George?"
"Fred and—the both of them?" she said wrinkling her nose.
"Well one doesn't come without the other, right? They always make me laugh."
"I don't think they'd be into that."
"Oh." She paused. "Ron?"
Ginny sighed again, rolling her eyes this time. "Sure."
Lavender squealed, jumping up and down making her brown curls bounce about her face.
"Calm down, we're not eight, Lavender."
"Oh sorry. I just can't help it. Oh, Ron." With that Lavender curtsied away, undoubtedly daydreaming about her newest obsession.