A/N I was writing a lot of children's stories when I penned this offering. I hope you enjoy a story about what untrained wizards get up to before they got to Hogwarts.

It was so hot that Ginny felt like her hair was melting.

"Please?" she whined again at Ron who was home for the holidays. "Fred and George went with dad into the Ministry and Percy is reading. Please take me down to the dam. Mum won't let me go on my own."

Ron looked up from his chess set. He'd only been pushing the pieces around vaguely for the last half an hour anyway and the magical board had beaten him three times in a row.

"If it will shut you up," he moaned, looking just as red in the face and hot and she felt.

They grabbed some thread bare towels from the laundry basket and slipped on sandals before trudging down the hill, the grass dry and brown from the scorching sun.

"Last one in is a Troll," yelled Ron. Finally getting into the spirit he kicked off his shoes and launched himself at the water's edge.

His face changed from exuberance to shock as his bare feet made contact with the water of the dam. Instead of sinking into the cool relief of water, Ron's toes touched down onto the hard slippery surface of a block of ice.

Ginny was glad that her brother had beaten her to the edge of the dam. She couldn't help laughing as Ron's feet skidded from under him and he landed squarely on his backside.

"Wha? …" he cried, sliding in a slow circle.

Ginny edged out onto the ice and held out her hand to help her brother to his feet. But before their fingers touched, a tiny bolt of electricity jumped from the tips of her fingers giving Ron a sharp shock.

"Hey!" he cried "as if it's not bad enough my rear end is throbbing, now my fingers are black too." He held up his hands for her inspection.

Ginny tried to hold back a giggle. "Sorry. I don't know how to control it yet – no wand," and she shrugged her shoulders. "Anyway, you used to do it to me all the time before you went to Hogwarts."

Her brother knew better than to deny it. He had often leapt out at her from around corners before his eleventh birthday. Their mother screamed at him. But she had as little success controlling him as she had the five other sons before Hogwarts.

"Who would do this?" Ginny asked.

"And WHY?" said Ron, finally managing to pull himself upright. "We'd better go and tell mum.

Of course Percy had to come down for a look and as soon as Fred and George returned with their father they delighted in skating across the slippery surface.

"How do you make a dam freeze over when it's so hot?" Ginny asked her mother.

"And who would want to do it to OUR dam anyway?" added Percy.

Mrs Weasley said nothing. Yet Ginny caught her sending their dad a worried glance when all his efforts to melt the ice were unsuccessful.

Despite the heat of the day the ice was not melting. And it gave no relief from the scorching sun as the hard smooth surface that covered the dam was as rigid and slippery as ice, yet it was not in the slightest bit cold. It was warmer even than the glass of a sunny window.

Before too long even the twins gave up skating on the solid surface of the lake when the sun and the activity made them hot and sweaty.

"Let's get inside for a drink," suggested Mrs Weasley.

The wilting red headed children gave no argument and followed their mother back up the hill to the welcome shade of the burrow. Inside it was muggy and still, but at least they were out of the scorching rays of the sun.

"What are we going to do now?" whined Ginny. She flopped herself down into one of the comfortable old chairs that occupied the living room, her long skinny limbs dangling over the cushions.

None of her brothers had any ideas. They sat about with tired, unhappy faces and moaned about the heat.

Soon their mother entered the room with a tray of tall glasses and a paper fan flapped in mid air following behind her. She set the drinks down on the easy table and handed out the glasses.

"Can I have one of those fan things mum?" Ginny asked after she had emptied her glass of the blissfully cool green cordial.

Mrs Weasley set all her children to folding the paper and then waved her wand to make the improvised fans flap in the air by their faces. It did little but push the hot air around.

"What about the creek a few rises over?" suggested Ginny, desperate for some relief.

The boys seemed to like the idea and started to make plans.

Their mother was not as keen on the idea. "Well I don't know … it's not that long to dark. And there is still someone out there who has put a charm on the dam …"

But with five children moaning, groaning and whining at her Mrs Weasley crumbled under the onslaught.

"Oh all right! Just you boys make sure you look out for Ron and Ginny," she sighed.

Five redheaded children grabbed towels and slipped on shoes and headed out over the brown hills to the coll running creek.

"Bet you can't beat me!" yelled Ginny as she took off with more energy than she had felt all day.

Fred and George groaned, obviously still weary after their skating expedition, and only Ron took up her challenge. After a few sweltering moments, he gave up too and Ginny lost sight of the boys as she pelted round a bend. Catching sight of the clear water she put on an extra burst of speed and was soon splashing knee deep in the wonderfully cool stream.

Soon she heard the sounds of feet crunching on the beach stones behind her and Ginny turned to spray her brother.

"Finally caught up …" her words died in her throat. It wasn't Ron at all.

Ginny froze.

The man on the beach was puffing with the effort of running and clutching at his grubby sides. His tattered coat fell over a faded and dirty pair of trousers and brushed on a holey pair of boots. He leered at Ginny through a scruffy, greying beard and she could see his crooked, blackened teeth. One hand stretched out towards her, the fingerless glove fraying, the wand dented and bent.

"Now don't you make a sound little girl," he sneered.

Ginny stood in the water and wondered where her brothers had gotten to. Surely they would come up behind the unsavoury character and be able to disarm him.
He crept forward inch by inch. The only sound in the little hollow was the trickling of the creek and the soft crunch of his manky boots on the stony bank.
Now he was in the water, seeming not to care that the water was seeping in through the holes in his tattered footwear.
His outstretched hand holding the battered wand seemed ot shake a little. Ginny was unsure if this was from nerves or excitement. She wasn't keen to find out.
"What do you want?" she finally said, her voice trembling.
"I don't want to hurt you missy. I just need some leverage to solve a little problem with your dad."
Something told Ginny it would be wise to keep him talking. "What has my dad done to you?"
The man was surprised at her question, but clearly he was so fired up, his mouth started working without much thought.
"Him an that Ministry's bad for business innit?" he drawled. "I had a nice little business goin; Muggle baiting for them that could pay. Can't think why witches and wizards want the poor silly beggars tortured, but I don't care if they pass over the coin."
He cocked his head seeming to take a good look at Ginny. "You're a clever little one aint you? Keeping me talking and hoping that those brothers of yours will turn up. Sorry to say missy, they aint coming. Cast a nice little barrier charm just after you passed through, I did."
Ginny's heart sank.
The man advanced on her, reaching for her arm.
I don't need to let him get me, I'm a witch after all thought Ginny. And even though she was untrained and had no wand, she knew she had some power. Growing up with so many brothers had taught her a thing or two. She had gotten Ron just as good as he had given more than once.
Just as the man's finger tips touched her arm Ginny focused her fear and let it run through her skin.
There was a bright flash and her attacker flew backwards landing with a giant splash on his back in the stream. Ginny took the opportunity to run for it, lifting her legs clear of the water for more speed. She reached the bank and was half way up the hill before the tramp was on his feet once more.
"Why you little Minx!" he bellowed and fired off a shot at her, sparks flying from the end of his wand. To Ginny's relief he wasn't a very good shot and the blast hit the dry grass behind her sending brown blades flying into the air around her.
Then she was over the rise and running down the other side. She could see George, Ron and Percy standing some distance away and Fred running with her mum and dad towards them. In a few more strides she had reached the charm barrier and her body bounced off, throwing her to the ground.
From where she lay, Ginny watched her mother raise her wand, obliterate the charm barrier and wave the boys away.
Her father reached her first and pulled her to her feet. "Get back to the house," her father yelled. Ginny was only too happy to oblige.
But as she ran with the boys towards the safety of the burrow she heard her mother yell "Petrificus Totalis," and Ginny couldn't resist turning to see the tatty man fall to the ground.
The Weasley children filed through the door of the farm house, but then jostled one another at the entrance in order to gain the best position to watch the action.
Ginny, who was much smarter, found a perfect window from which to observe the scene in the field below the house. Several witches and wizards had now appeared beside their parents and had the abductor in custody. They brought him up to the house.
"Up stairs with you," said their mother, who was first through the door. "The aurors will be taking Mr Ulfios back to the Ministry through the flu network."
The children did as she said, moving up the staircose only as far as the first landing so that they could still see the figures moving about on the floor below.
"You'll face charges back at the ministry," one of the aurors was explaining. Then he turned to adress Mrs Weasley. "It's a good thing that little witch of yours has quite a bit of magic flowing through her. She stopped Mr Ulfios here in his tracks.
To Ginny's surprise, the man who had threatened her broke into a huge grin. "That girl's going to grow into one heck of a witch. I don't envy you having to deal with her through the teenage years."
Mr Weasley rolled his eyes and placed his hand on the back of Mr Ulfios' head to guide him into the fireplace. "I'd be worrying more about Demontors if I was you," he said.
One after the other the Aurors followed Mr Ulfios into the large stone archway and disapeared in a green flame.
When they were gone Mrs Weasley headed towards the stairs in order to check on the children. The five of them scrambled up to their rooms before she could catch them spying.
Ginny jumped onto her bed just before her mother entered.
"Oh my Ginny! Are you alright? That was a very brave thing you did," she said, "Silly, but brave." She broke into a relieved smile and hugged Ginny tight.
"Mum I'm a witch and a Weasley - what more did you expect?" she said and hugged her mum just as tightly.

The End