Money for nothing.
"Ginny! Letter for you."
"Thanks Mum." Ginny took the letter from her mother's hand, and the tawny owl took off.
Harry Potter, sitting at the table, narrowed his eyes at the envelope in Ginny's hand. Who'd send her a letter, and more importantly, would it explode and incapacitate all present?
"It's probably from her boyfriend." Ron said, scowling as he looked up from his bangers.
"Let your sister read her letter in peace, Ron." Mr Weasley said.
Ron glowered down at his plate. "Stupid Dean." Ron muttered.
Harry stifled a laugh at this. What did matter if Ginny and Dean were together?
The clatter of cutlery upon crockery continued, until Ginny broke the verbal silence by standing up and snooping around in the many nooks and crannies of the kitchen.
"Fred, George, where are you hiding?"
Ron was looking at Ginny as though she'd lost the plot.
"What would your brothers be doing here?" Mrs Weasley asked.
"Because this seems like their style…" Ginny handed her mother the letter she had been reading.
"OH MY GOODNESS!" Mrs Weasley jumped from her seat in shock. "OH MY GOODNESS! ARTHUR!"
Mr Weasley came running around the table, as Mrs Weasley sank into her chair and took a large drink from her water goblet.
"Miss Ginny Weasley,
We are writing to inform you that Gringotts is holding 1000 galleons in your name. Since you have no account with us, please bring your guardian(s) to Gringotts so that we may open an account for you.
Yours,
Balrek,
Department of Gringotts Accounts."
Mr Weasley frowned at the message and passed it on to Bill.
"Who'd want to give money to you?" Ron asked, frowning at Ginny.
Hermione slapped Ginny on the shoulder. "Good for you!"
But Ginny ignored them all. Her eyes narrowed and scanned the table.
Then her eyes caught a glint of emerald flashing back at her, and Ginny's and Harry's gazes locked.
In a flash of clarity, they were united in understanding.
"Well, I think…it looks legitimate." Bill told them. "Only thing to do is check it out, I reckon."
"No." Ginny stood up straight. "I smell a rat."
Crookshanks sniffed the air.
"A rat named Lucius."
Harry beamed at Ginny, nodding proudly.
"Why Malfoy want to give us-you money? He hates us?" Ron queried.
"Yes Ron, he hates us. And what better way to draw us out of the house than to send me a letter telling me I've got 1000 galleons mysteriously."
"Well, we wouldn't take all of you. Just Arthur, myself and you." Mrs Weasley assured her daughter.
"Yes, but while we're out, the Burrow is underguarded. That Vexatious Villain, Voldemort will value this, and strike!"
Bill nodded slowly. Ginny was making a lot of sense.
But Harry had some misgivings about Ginny's theory.
"Maybe you're not the decoy. Maybe they're after you."
"Why me?" Ginny asked.
"Well, Mr Weasley works, so they can attempt to take him from the Ministry. I don't know for sure, but I can imagine that Lucius would have told Voldemort what happened…"
"…with his diary and the opening of the Chamber of Secrets, and Voldemort would want to know more, things that Lucius couldn't tell him, but I could."
Ginny sat back down, and to general astonishment, she was grinning. To general terror, it resembled a Fred and George style grin.
"If true, this is fantastic."
"1000 galleons are fantastic or having a homicidal megalomaniac after you is fantastic?" Harry asked, scowling.
"1000 galleons. Pssh." Ginny waved off the prospect of riches. "If Voldemort wants me that much, he's going to have to chase me. And if he's chasing me, you get a well-earned holiday."
"You know very well he has followers to do his grunge work for him." Harry replied, annoyed at Ginny's cavalier attitude towards her own life.
"Well, if Voldemort is after one, one has a rather short life expectancy. I want to spend the rest of my life productively, by sending Voldemort and his Death Eaters on wild goose chases. Might even slip a few things out about what happened in the Chamber of Secrets. Of course, I wouldn't exactly be telling the truth…"
"Are you crazy? Antagonise Voldemort. Sorry to break it to you Ginny, but you can't annoy him to death."
"I wouldn't be so sure of that, Harry." Ron interrupted. "Her powers of irritation are second to…very few."
Ginny responded in a mature and dignified manner by poking her tongue at her brother.
Hermione, sitting between the two, just sat back and shook her head ruefully.
"We might be getting ahead of ourselves. Strange as it may seem, this might actually be legitimate." Bill reminded. "But just to be safe, we'll all go and check. Safety in numbers.
Harry, Ron, Hermione, Bill, Fleur, Mr and Mrs Weasley and Ginny we're all walking down Diagon alley. They had come through a smaller entrance on the Gringotts side of the alley. They figured that any ambushers would expect them to come through from the Leaky Cauldron.
Harry, of course, was the most tense and wary of all of them. His hand was gripping his wand as if he expected Voldemort to come leaping out from behind the dustbins, and he was sticking to Ginny like flypaper.
Bill and Fleur watched them whilst Ginny, Mrs Weasley and Mr Weasley went into Gringotts. After about half an hour, whilst Hermione and Bill chatted away talking about wards, Ron and Harry invented new and creative additions to rock-paper-scissors, and debated the merits of each edition, and Fleur, feeling unable to connect with anyone, stood sentinel, the three emerged from Gringotts.
Mrs Weasley answered the unspoken question on everybody's lips. "It was genuine."
"Who was it from, Ginny?" Harry asked.
"Balrek wouldn't say. He said my benefactors wished to remain anonymous."
"Guess we'll never know." Harry conceded.
"Benefactors…so there was more than one." Hermione pointed out.
"True, and although Gringotts might have stonewalled me, I'm still determined to find out who they are."
"How are you going to manage that?" Bill asked, forming the rear guard with Fleur.
"I'm going to speak with two gentlemen with whom I have acquaintance. I believe they will be able to help – they are the second best people for the job I know."
"Why don't you just hire the best people for the job?" Ron asked, as he window-shopped through Diagon Alley.
"Because Ron, yourself, Harry and Hermione will be in school with me."
"No doubt putting their noses where they don't belong." Mrs Weasley scolded.
It suddenly became clear where Ginny was leading the group. Number 93, Diagon Alley stood out against the dank backdrop of Diagon Alley, a lurid display of bold colours as if the very building itself was thumbing its nose at the general mood of the nation.
This was where Fred and George worked.
Mrs Weasley got her first shock outside the building. Reading a poster, she silently mouthed the words emblazoned in purple writing.
"You know poo…. They'll be murdered in their beds!"
"I think it's brilliant." Ron said.
Laughing with everyone else, Ginny and Harry lead the group into the store.
If it was bright on the outside, that was nothing compared to what was within. The store was filled with customers, and it took a few minutes for the twins to greet the group.
"Ah, benefactor." Fred ignored Ginny and overdramatically embraced Harry. "So corking to see you."
"Is this not the best 1 000 galleons you ever spent?"
"This is fantastic. I might spend another 1 000 more today."
"No way, Harry. You shop for free. You see something you like, it's yours. Except Verity. She's ours."
"No, no…."
"Look, Harry," George intervened. "You gave us our start-up money. You had faith in us. We don't forget that."
"Thanks George."
Fred, at last, turned to Ginny. "Now you have the look of a young lady with a few galleons to spend. Allow my distinguished yet somehow not-as-handsome associate here direct you to our famous Wonderwitch products…."
"Products, which of course, you are not allowed to purchase. Unless of course you ditch your five boyfriends and set your bar a bit higher." George said as he led Ginny over to the stall, subtly casting his eye at Harry, who was looking around with Ron and Hermione.
"Whatever you've heard from Ron is a big fat lie."
"Are you or are you not currently going out with a boy called Dean Thomas."
"I am, and last time I checked, he was one boy, not five." Ginny was looking for a way to change the course of the conversation, so when she spotted pink and purple balls of fluff frolicking around in a cage, Ginny instantly asked what they were.
"Pygmy Puffs. Miniature Puffskiens."
"They're adorable!" Ginny gushed with girlish glee.
"Well, yes, I suppose they are, but…" George tried steer the conversation back to Ginny's love life.
"Have you got a problem with Dean?"
"He's a nice enough guy, I suppose." George conceded. "What do you see in him, anyway?"
Ginny frowned. "It's hard to explain."
George nodded. "Look, Ginny, Ron might give you a hard time about your dating life, but with Fred and I gone, he's the one in Hogwarts you need to go for. If you need any help, go to him; right?"
Ginny rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, and give us a floo call if you need us." Fred stated, walking up to the two.
"There is something you can do for me, if you've got the time…" Ginny began.
"Go on." Fred smirked.
At that moment, Harry came up to them. Seeing the Love Potions behind Ginny, he decided to have some fun.
"Planning another conquest, Ginny?" Harry asked, smirking.
Ginny's eyes moved shiftily. "Possibly. However did you guess?"
"I hear things…" Harry said, twiddling his thumbs and staring at the ceiling.
"Such as?" Ginny replied, playing along.
"Such as a young lady speaking with her mother about the subject…"
"Well, if your hearing was not so selective, young man, you would have realised they were talking about the unprincipled nature of their use." Ginny adopted a superior posture.
"I beg miss's forgiveness for my baseless accusations."
Ginny turned and marched off, nose in the air to complete the performance, but then she turned around.
"Harry, that was three years ago!" Ginny was quite astonished that he knew, let alone remembered it, but she had learned that Harry's mind worked in mysterious ways.
Ginny walked off to explore more of the store, and Harry turned around to do the same in another direction, but found his path blocked by Fred and George, the proprietors.
"Three years…" Fred smirked.
"Still remember…." George added.
"What Ginny said…."
"Even though you weren't part…
"Of the conversation!"
"Tell us, Harry."
"Do you remember…"
"What we said…"
"Three years ago."
Fred and George smirked triumphantly, but it was short lived, as Harry saved his with
"Let's see what happens if we…."
The Twins had to admit he got that one right.
Harry strolled through the store, and he can upon Ginny again.
"Could it be?" A voice came from behind them.
"Dare we dream?" Harry and Ginny spun around. A crowd of young females had spotted him.
"No…" They edged closer. "But it is!"
Ginny could see the charge about to happen, and she leapt in front of Harry.
"Harry! Go! RUN! I'll hold them off!"
Harry tried to leap forward, but Ginny shoved him back. Harry pelted around a couple of corners and found Ron.
"Ron! Fangirls! Ginny!" Harry said.
"You left your fangirls with Ginny!" Ron demanded, following Harry.
"No…I left Ginny with the fangirls!"
"Yeah…Like leaving a Lioness with a few Chihuahua pups…"
Ron went around the back of the fangirls while Harry retraced his steps.
But Ginny wasn't engaged in mortal combat. She was surrounded by girls who were…demanding her autograph.
"Please sign this!" A girl thrust something at Ginny.
"It's beautiful!"
"A masterpiece."
"Sign here! Sign here!"
"You've done something amazing."
Ginny was extremely confused, then, at last, the comforting presence of Harry arrived.
"At last, you're getting the recognition you so richly deserve, Ginny."
"Wait…you know Ginny?" Someone in the crowd asked.
"Who doesn't know the fabulous, the amazing, the extraordinary Ginny Weasley?"
Ginny glared at Harry, her eyes as hard as granite. "Traitor." Ginny hissed out between her teeth.
"Just what magnificent accomplishment has Ginny done this time?"
"You don't know?"
"Well, she does so many that I kind of lose track." Harry replied, wincing when Ginny kicked him in the shins.
One of the girls picked something off a shelf and handed it to Harry.
"Sorry…I think my brother's calling me…" Ginny managed to extricate herself.
Without Ginny, the group dispersed. Harry, to his delight, had either not been recognised, or they didn't care.
Looking at the object, Harry realised it was a record. Harry didn't know Fred and George sold music, so he went to find Ginny to show her what he had.
"Oh, magnificent one! Deign you allow myself to address you?"
"I will grant you audience, oh thou traitor."
"Though verily did I betray thee, thou must understand my wish for self-preservation." Harry handed Ginny the record.
"I hast been given this, but I understand not the secrets it holds."
Ginny was looking at it, frowning, when George turned up.
"You can have that, Gin. On the house."
"Why thank you George." Ginny's eyes flicked back down as she looked at the fine print on the back side of the record's case.
Harry watched it play out in slow motion.
Ginny's eyes widened, and her mouth fell open, as if in silent horror.
"You didn't." Ginny pleaded with George, but he didn't move. "You did."
Fred arrived. "Ah, I see you've already introduced Ginny to our most popular piece of merchandise."
Ginny looked completely lost. Fred spoke up to reassure her.
"How could you use that?"
"It was all legal. You didn't have any patents or copyright on it."
"It's not about the money, Fred, and you know it!"
"Well, we have copyright rights now, so if you want to prove yourself as the undisputed author of this, you'll have to take us to court."
"But…but…that's not fair! The publicity is exact what I want to avoid."
Fred smirked smugly.
"Oh, I can't win!" Ginny threw her hands in the air.
"No you can't little sis. Verity, hit it!"
The young witch set the WWW record into motion.
"His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad,
His hair is as dark as a blackboard.
I wish he were mine, he's really divine,
The hero who conquered the Dark Lord."
Fred snapped his fingers and Verity stopped the track.
"So, whaddya think, Harry?"
Ginny turned, expecting to see Harry shaking with silent laughter, but he was stonily staring at the twins.
"I think it is a cheap, rubbish imitation with no soul."
Fred's mouth fell open.
"But it's better!" Ginny protests. "Mine was all horrible and screechy and…they've got the notes right."
"Exactly, thank you, Ginny." Fred interrupted, but backed down when Harry glared witheringly at them.
"Ginny's was from the heart. You two have created a parody that has no substance."
"But…but…"
Harry took Ginny's hand and marched past the twins.
"You can have your money back, Fred and George." Ginny declared.
When they were away, Ginny turned to Harry.
"Thank you for…standing up for me back there…I thought you'd hate me."
"Oh, Ginny, I couldn't hate you for that. T'wasn't your fault."
"But I wrote it…and you were so embarrassed. I'm really sorry."
"Oh, that's in the past now, Ginny. True, I was embarrassed then, but looking back on it, I suppose I think of it as being a bit…cute."
"Don't you tell anyone!" Harry added.
"Not a word." Ginny said.
"You know Ginny, I'm really glad we're friends."
"As am I, Harry, as am I."
At that moment, Ron and Hermione arrived.
"Hey guys, what'chu up to?"
"Reminiscing about our youth." Harry replied.
"But why are you holding hands?" Ron prodded, showing his power of observation at precisely the most embarrassing time.
"Why, Ron," Harry replied, looking down at his hand interlocked with Ginny's. "Would I be the respected and responsible gentleman that I am – no one asked you to snort, Girl Weasley – if I allowed Ginny Weasley loose amongst all these volatile fireworks."
"Ah, good thinking mate. Got to keep an eye on you." Ron said, slapping Harry's shoulder and watching Ginny.
"Come friends, and let us continue on our journey." Harry said. He looked over Ginny to his right and saw Hermione glance at him, then turn away, smirk, and then adopt the superior look she had when she knew something that he didn't.
Harry supposed he'd find out what she was thinking at some point or another, Hermione couldn't keep what she learned to herself.
"So, did you get Fred and George on the case?" Hermione asked.
"Yeah…sort of." Ginny replied.
The rest of the day was filled with the four playing Quidditch. Harry and Ginny teamed up but were beating Ron and Hermione so completely that they swapped around, and Harry and Hermione were a much better match against Ron and Ginny, and the game stretched on until near dinner-time, when, with the scores tied, Ron let in a loose shot from Hermione, and he was berated by Ginny for throwing the game just for the sake of his stomach.