Chapter 1: Return to the Burrow
Ginny heard a knock on her door. Rolling over in bed, she groaned. She half opened one eye and cursed when she saw the time. In glancing at the clock, she had seen that it was half past one in the morning. Another knock. Ginny rolled blindly out of bed, stumbling and stubbing her toes. Pulling on a sweater over her nightgown, she walked over and opened the door.
"Gaby!" She shrieked, and hugged her sister. "You're back!" Gabrielle's parents, the Delacours, had been killed two years ago in the battle against Voldemort. The Weasleys had then contacted the senior Delacours, Gabrielle's grandparents, and asked for custody of Gabrielle. They managed to convince the reluctant older couple, citing the fact that Gabrielle would want to be close to her closest living relative, her sister Fleur, now married to Bill Weasley. The Delacours had agreed, on the condition that Gabrielle is sent to them during the summer for five weeks, and during some vacations from Hogwarts.
"Ginny!" Gaby hugged her back, dropping her suitcase. Forgetting her exhaustion, Ginny swung the case over her shoulder and walked Gabrielle up to her room.
The room that had once been Ron's attic was now Gaby's Boudoir. She had decorated it with powder blue walls, though it had taken several coats of paint to cover up the blaring orange paint Ron had splashed all over the walls, and a few Gryffindor banners.
"When did you arrive?" Asked Ginny, sitting on the bed. She traced the silver embroidered birds on the cloudy blue coverlet with the tip of her finger.
"Around one. Mum said I looked underfed, so she overfed me." You could barely hear the French accent in her voice, because she had spent the last two years attending Hogwarts, and only spoke French when she went to visit her French relations.
"How is everyone?" Ginny threw herself onto her back, staring at the ceiling.
"Alright. They all think it's weird that I go to Hogwarts instead of Beauxbatons." Gabrielle laid her suitcase on the bed and opened it up. She began to unpack. Between them, she was the tidy one.
"Aw, don't listen to them, they're just jealous that they can't go over-seas." Ginny waved her wand and all of Gaby's clothes zoomed into her chest of drawers. Ginny patted the place beside her on the bedspread. Gaby made a face, but sat down next to her. "You'll have to write me. Tell me who the new headmaster is." Suggested Ginny. Professor McGonagall had retired the previous June, when Ginny's class had graduated.
"Oh, I forgot that you're done with school!" Gaby's face fell. "It'll be so lonely without you."
"That's you. What about me? I have to get a job!" Said Ginny desperately, rolling over onto her stomach on the bed. "I have to put together a resume together and get letters of recommendation and everything!"
"Didn't you get job advice a few years back?" Asked Gabrielle, slipping out of her robes and changing into a pair of pajamas.
"Yeah. So?"
"So what'd McGonagall say?" Gaby sat down in her desk-chair. Turning to face the desk with her back to Ginny, she unrolled a piece of parchment and ripped a piece off. Scribbling a few lines onto the manila colored scroll, she rolled it up and tied it to the leg of Pigwidgeon, telling him. "This is for Fleur. Shell Cottage." She opened the dirty window and tossed the owl into the chilly late night (or early morning) air.
"She said that the ministry might be in my future, but she thinks Quidditch might not be a bad idea."
"What would make her say that?" Gaby asked, flopping down on the bed and smiling cheekily.
"Probably a combination of family reputation, observation of talent and my choice of extra curricular activities!" Ginny threw a pillow at Gaby, who dodged, and yawned. Ginny realized just then how very tired she was, promptly said goodnight to her sister, and descended the stairs to bed.
Ginny awakened that morning to an owl tapping her window. She got up and opened the window, blinking in the sunlight. The owl landed smartly on the sill, preened its feathers, and extended its leg. Ginny detached the little scroll from the owl's leg, and unrolled the parchment:
Ginny-
Ron told me that Gabrielle sent a letter to Fleur and she mentioned that you are having trouble finding a job. I bet you could contact Slughorn and he would give you a great letter of recommendation. If you're interested, I'm sure we could find something for you here at the ministry. Say hi to everyone for me.
Harry
PS: The new owls' name is Witherwig.
Ginny sighed. No "Love, Harry". He'd been too busy putting his life back together to . . . well, that's too depressing to think about. She tied back her hair and wrote a quick reply:
Harry-
Thanks, I think I will write to Slughorn. I suppose I'll be seeing you.
Ginny
She sealed the letter, and tied it to Witherwig's extended leg. The owl gave an odd sort of nod, and flew away. Ginny got up and pulled on a dressing gown over her night-dress, and she walked down the stairs.
"Morning, Ginny." said Mrs. Weasley cheerfully.
"Is Gaby up yet?" asked Ginny as she helped herself to bacon and eggs along with the toast already on her plate.
"No. I expect she's sleeping in, she got home pretty late. Don't wake her, I'll bring a tray up."
"Oh, when have I heard this before?" Muttered Ginny as she cut her eggs.
"Hush you!" Molly snapped in Ginny's general direction, as she prepared a tray for Gabrielle, including eggs, buttered toast, bacon, home fries and sausages. Ginny smiled to herself as she thought of when she had been fifteen, and a visitor had arrived in the middle of the night, he had woken up late and had a tray of food brought up by Fleur . . .
She awoke from her daydream when an owl carrying the mail arrived and tapped his claw on the window. Ginny remembered another owl, Errol, tapping on the window when she'd been eleven and the same mysterious visitor had come by flying car . . .
She shook herself fully awake, and let in Pigwidgeon. The owl had been retired to the Burrow after Ron had left home and was given a new owl by George and Angelina for his birthday, who could afford it since the shop was doing so well under their co-management.
There were a few ministry memos for Dad, The Daily Prophet, Witch Weekly for Mum, a few letters for Gabrielle from friends from school and France, and three letters for Ginny. One was from Luna, who was in Romania, staying with Charlie and his wife Leticia, a Romanian witch.
"Luna's on vacation looking for Blubbering Borigible Borginies in the lakes near the centaur reservations." Ginny held the letter to the light and giggled to herself.
"Really," said Molly absentmindedly, piling the food for Gabrielle on a tray. Ginny slit open the next letter with her index finger.
Dear Ginny,
I heard about Gaby being back, say hi for me. Luna wrote me saying she's in Romania looking for something or other, you know her. We're having serious Auror training. I find it rather hard, as it's not really something you can learn fully from a book. Ron, Harry and I are coming for dinner, so look your best tonight! Ron and I are going out tomorrow night, so we won't be coming over. Has Harry written you? He said he would. See you soon!
Love, Hermione
Ginny felt, if possible, even more depressed after reading this. Hermione had a career. Hermione had a livelihood. Hermione had a boyfriend. Yahoo. Yay. Huzzah. What about me? Thought Ginny. She ripped open the next letter ferociously, taking out her anger and jealousy, and guilt at feeling jealous, on the purple-ribboned parchment . . . . purple ribbon? Sure enough, on the envelope, were the initials H. Slughorn, addressed to Ginevra M. Weasley.
Dearest Ginevra,
I heard that you are looking for a job. If I may suggest something, I think you would do well as a Quidditch player, and, as you know my friend Gwenog Jones captains the Hollyhead Harpies, so I might be able to get you into the annual trials with a recommendation.
Hoping you are well,
Horace Slughorn
Ginny gave an outward sigh of relief. Wiping the sweat off her forehead, she swept the letter aside; she would draft a reply later.
She opened the Daily Prophet, and glanced over the headlines. She took a look at her favorite part of the paper, the Chosen Column. The name always made her smile. The weekly column was mostly people who know Harry Potter writing about their experiences with him. Whenever they couldn't get anyone, they had reporters analyzing quotes from the chosen one. Really, it's a miracle the boy has a normal sized head. She thought. But that's what happens when you save the Wizarding world from utter disaster.
Harry Potter: Goblins, Elves and Gamekeepers
By Alphius Doge
When Harry Potter arrived at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry he befriended none other than the abnormally large gamekeeper, Rubeus Hagrid. The chosen one then proceeded to become friendly with not only a man he soon found out is a half giant, but with a Goblin known as Griphook, and many a house-elf. According to said Goblin, Harry Potter has not only saved said Goblin's life, but also buried a house-elf who was killed.
Harry is none other than a most unprejudiced and selfless individual, and his attitude is applaudable. Indeed, needless to say, we can all learn a lot from Harry Potter.
Ginny sighed, disappointed. No new quote. No new story. Just another article, praising Harry to the heavens for this or that. How boring, she thought. Then she scolded herself. She almost had a career, She almost had a livelihood, She was nowhere close to having a boyfriend, and sadly, that was the only thing that seemed to matter. All of that crap about independence, and not needing someone, was just that, crap. She wasn't happy without him. That wasn't something she had been able to change.
When the war had ended, she had expected that Harry's We-can't-be-together-because-Voldemort-will-kill-you-to-get-to-me paranoid phase would end, and they would be together again, and Ginny could be happy again. Unfortunately, Harry seemed to have more on his mind than his ex-girlfriend, the girl who loved him still.
Ginny and Gabrielle had not gotten off on the right foot, what with the crush that Gabrielle had on Harry, and Ginny being Harry's girlfriend. Either way, as soon as Gaby got over it, the two were the best of friends, or at least as close friends as you can be with someone who is essentially your sister. That was two years ago, when the thing on everyone's minds had been Voldemort, and no one had time to get worked up over the occasional sissy-fights.
But now the girls were almost inseparable. So, just as parents will, Ginny found herself masking her Harry-induced depression as she heard Gaby trooping down the stairs.
"Ginny."
"Gaby."
"Morning."
"Morning."
"Morning."
"It's Harry, isn't it?" Gaby observed as she accepted a plate of steaming food from Mrs. Weasley, raising her eyebrows at the tray Molly had been about to conduct upstairs.
"No." Yes.
"I thought so." Said Gabrielle, matter-of factly. "Do you miss him?" She asked, shoving a fork-load of scrambled eggs into her mouth.
"No." Only every minute of every day.
"Of course you don't."
"Don't talk with your mouth full." Stop with your mind-reading powers.
"Don't change the subject!"
"I'm over him!" Nope. Not even close.
"And I honestly believe that?" Gaby raised an eyebrow.
"Of course not." It was irritating how well her adopted sister knew her.
Gaby continued to try to get Ginny to tell her what was going on. Finally, Gabrielle got frustrated and simply snatched the letters from Hermione and Luna from under Ginny's elbow, and Professor Slughorn's from Ginny's hand.
"Oh my gosh," She commented after speed-reading all four letters. She let Hermione's slip onto the wooden tabletop.
"So what?" Ginny grabbed back three of the letters, but Gabrielle held Harry's out of reach.
"So what?" Mocked Gaby, waving the letter in the air and tossing her mane of silvery blonde hair.
"Gimme 'em!" Ginny snatched it away.
"So you're jealous of Hermione?" Asked Gaby dryly.
"Am not." Seriously, how are you doing that? Is it a Veela thing?
"You're stubborn, too." Gaby carried her dish to the sink.
"Am not." How is she always right?
"See?"
"Go away."
"In your dreams."
"I'd rather be dreaming than listening to you."
"Harsh."
"Well, I'm feeling angst-y today." Ginny waved her wand and her dish raced to the sink.
"What is it? Take-your-angst-out-on-Gabrielle-day?" Gaby shook her head sadly. "Hey, I've got a brilliant idea."
"Oh, we like ourselves, don't we?" Muttered Ginny, folding her arms.
"Hush you! Ask George and Angelina for a job!" Gaby practically exploded.
"No way! That's favoritism! I'll ask Dean and Parvati for a job."
"A, isn't he your ex-boyfriend, so that is also favoritism, plus it's awkward, and B, when did they open a business?" Gaby raised her eyebrows.
"They opened a pet-shop right after they got engaged, and they were just looking for help the other day. See you, I've got to go." Ginny swung her old school bag over one shoulder and finger-combed her hair on her way out the door.