Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of this work of fiction, and no profit is being made through the writing of this, monetary or otherwise.
A/N: Written for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry's July Fortnight Two, Going Postal. Section 7: Prompts: family, sidekick, chess/wizarding chess, family, 7, Title: Prefect
"I want to be the prefect!" Ginny wails at the top of her voice.
"I'm the prefect," Ron says.
"How come you get to be the prefect?" Ginny asks, pouting, arms crossed over her chest.
"Because I'm older," Ron says, chin jutting like his big brother Percy's does when he gets superior (that's what his mum calls it anyway).
Ginny sticks her tongue out at her older brother, and flings the king from Ron's prized wizarding chess set at him, causing the chess piece to cry out, indignant, "Well, I never."
Ron glares at his little sister, wondering, not for the first time, why his parents couldn't have stopped at six, rather than seven, children. Seven really was too many. Ron heard a wizard say that when they were at Diagon Alley, getting school supplies for his older siblings the other day, and he couldn't help but agree, especially when the seventh child in question was a little sister who always got her way simply because she was the only girl. It wasn't fair. Ron couldn't wait to go to Hogwarts. He wanted to be a prefect and play Quidditch and maybe even kiss a girl one day, and he wanted to be as far away as he could from his little sister.
"Ron, let your sister be the prefect," his mum says, and Ron's shoulders sag.
Ginny gives him a triumphant look and sticks their older brother's friend's prefect badge on her sparkly rainbow shirt. She puffs her chest up, and points her finger at Ron, "Detention!" she shouts and Ron sighs.
One day, he will get to be prefect and give his little sister detention. He just has to wait for that day and hope that his parents aren't hiding around the corner to make him give his badge to his annoying little sister.
Ron walks over to the determined 'detention' area (the family room rug), head down, and sits on the rug. It's boring when he can't boss anyone around like his big brothers bossed him around (still boss him around).
Suddenly, he feels little arms wrap around him and a kiss on his cheek. "I'm sorry," Ginny says. "You can come out of detention."
She hands Ron the prefect badge, tears swimming in her eyes, and Ron can't take it from her. He wishes he could, but she's his little sister and he loves her.
"It's okay," he says. "You can be prefect."
Ginny's eyes light up and she hugs Ron again, tight. "I know, you can be my sidekick!" she says. "We can give detention to Charlie, Bill, Bill's friend, Percy, George and Fred."
Ron smiles and shakes his head. No way will his older brothers play with them. They're busy. "They won't want to play with us."
She leans in close and whispers in his ear, eyes sparkling. "They'll have to play with us, 'cause mum will make them if I cry."
Ron laughs. Maybe seven isn't so bad a number after all, and maybe having a little sister is a good thing, especially when that sister's Ginny.