Ginny walked down the hall with a scowl. Another "Weasley is our King" badge flashed before her eyes as she walked past some Ravenclaw students.
Stupid Ron. She'd have made a way better keeper. Too bad Harry thought she was too young for the team. Stupid gits.
She had half a mind to go and get herself a badge. But that would involve talking to Malfoy, and he was ancestrally supposed to be her enemy. Also, he was a Slytherin- and Gryffindor's hated Slytherins, as a rule. She scowled harder. It was ridiculous.
She would probably have grudged Malfoy more, if he'd treated her like he did Ron and his friends, but he'd never bothered to notice her; and so Ginny didn't bother to hate him. She didn't even dislike him, really. She was fully aware of his families allegiances and the fact that he was predominantly a rather unpleasant sort of person, but she'd also noticed that he was fairly hilarious. She'd always appreciated a good sense of humour.
Ginny sighed in frustration again. She was sick of being the youngest, and a girl, and generally the weak, useless one. She felt very much like treating someone to her infamous bat bogey hex right now.
"Oi, Weaslette!"
She turned to face the rude tone. It was the ferret himself. It was probably the first time he'd ever spoken to her. She smirked at the title. He was taller than her, she noticed absentmindedly, with a twinge of irritation. Of course he is you idiot! she chided herself.
"What?" she said, equally rudely, but lacking the tone of suspicion that her siblings would have had.
"Like a badge?" his white teeth flashed her with a cruel grin.
Ginny stopped walking in the edge of the step. That put her at a height advantage to the blonde boy. She looked at him consideringly.
Then she shrugged. "Sure." she held out her hand, palm up.
A quick look of surprise crossed Draco's smooth features, and then he laughed. "What, not supporting your own house this season?"
"nah." said Ginny. "They deserved to lose."
She held up the small round badge Draco had dropped in her hand. "Did you make this?"
He looked at her suspiciously. "Yeah." he sneered.
Ginny shot him an approving look. "Nice work. How'd you get the charm to stick so well?"
He looked even more suspicious. "Been testing it, have you?"
"No, but some others did." she said. "Well?"
He smirked. "My secret, Weaslette."
Ginny smirked back. "I'll figure it out. See you later, Ferret."
Draco watched her with interest as she stalked away from him, the pin clutched in her hand. He felt puzzled by her complete lack of response to his baiting. It always worked so well with her brother, Potter and the mudblood.
Ginny held the pin tightly. The edge was probably making a dent in her palm. Stupid Malfoy. He'd made her so unreasonably flustered. It made her even angrier, thinking of the profound effect the Prince of Slytherin had just had on her racing pulse. Stupid bloody Slytherins. She'd already forgotten her previous resentment over the Griffindor- Slytherin Feud, and was wholeheartedly fuming against all of Slytherin House.
"Oi, Ginny! Gin, wait."
Ginny gritted her teeth at the familiar voice. How could Harry go around all nonchalant when it was his own fault that Griffindor had lost the bloody match? She suddenly felt a tremendous urge to put on the badge. She had never resented Harry so much. He should have chosen her as keeper. Or at least he ought to have chosen Macmillan, who was an asshole, but certainly a better keeper than Ronald.
Ginny didn't slow her pace, and Harry had to run to catch up with her. "Hey Ginny, wait up." he jogged to her side.
"What do you want, Harry?" She snapped.
Harry looked taken aback by her abruptness. "Err." he sounded suddenly uncertain. "Nothing. Never mind."
She glared at him. "then go away."
Poor Harry had left immediately, looking more that a bit nervous. Ginny couldn't say she felt guilty. She probably would later on, but she was far too cross right now.
...
"Gi-inny"
"Ginster"
"Oh smallest and wisest of our Weasley brood."
She rolled her eyes. Couldn't she be left alone for 5 minutes?
She spun around to face the twins. Fred and George instinctively jumped back a few paces. Fred ducked extravagantly, while George lay himself down at her feet. "Spare us, we beg you!"
"Don't hurt us, magnificent raging one!"
Ginny growled at them. "Don't grovel, George."
"Promise not to hurt us?" George peeked up at her from her feet.
"Make it quick and I might not." said Ginny, poking him not at all softly with her foot.
George scampered up and the boys took positions on each side of her.
"What we need is-" said Fred.
"A tiny favour- said George.
"From the most smartest of little sisters." added Fred.
"Which is what?" prodded Ginny grumpily.
George produced a glass tube with a cork stopper. It was filled with some sort of red liquid.
"Flame-Breath." he said.
"The problem is," said Fred in a mournful tone. "We haven't been able to stop it burning the user."
"Not a very pleasant sensation." grimaced George.
Ginny looked at them suspiciously. "You tested it on yourselves?"
"Of course." said Fred innocently.
Ginny narrowed her eyes. "I hope it was only yourselves."
Fred smiled a little too widely.
Ginny chose to ignore him, and took the tube. "What's it made of?"
"Dragonseed- crushed and ground, Saint Maloney's Wort and tempered Funnelherb."
"And gillyweed ashes." added George.
Ginny made a face. "ugh."
"We thought it might provide some protection." said Fred.
"It didn't." said George.
Ginny pocketed the tube. "Right." she said. Rummaging through her bag, she found the heavy tome that was the writings of Agatha Barnaby-Drake, and dumped it in Fred's hands.
"Aarh Ginny!" he said, losing balance.
"I need all references of Fingerdust and the singing kites by Thursday afternoon." she patted the top of the book with a smile.
"Aaw Ginny!" they groaned.
She grinned fiercely at the two of them. "You didn't think I'd extract payment? Shame!"
She turned on her heel and sauntered off, leaving her brothers staring after her sheepishly, the thick tome in their hands. "We tried to raise her obedient..." said Fred mournfully.
"Failed. Miserably." said George.
Meanwhile, at the end of the corridor, Ginny smiled smugly to herself. She had not been looking forward to researching the boring escapades of the imbecile wizard known as Fingerdust.