Welcome to the revamped version of this story. If you've read it before, I don't really recommend reading it again, because all I've done is put in more detail. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: All characters are property of J.K. Rowling. Except Mabel.

Ginny Weasley, aged 18, nervously and quietly walked the long and gothic-looking halls of the ministry of magic with her aging father beside her. "This way, Ginny," he ushered her with a hand on her shoulder to the minister's office. "Don't worry; I'm sure everything will turn out fine." Ginny could tell that her father was just as nervous about this semi-interview as she was. He was constantly talking, pointing out various irrelevant things about the ministry's high-arced ceiling, its statues, its people, even. The halls were the same that Ginny had seen just a year ago. There were people rushing in and out of rooms, carrying boxes, or stacks of paper, even weird muggle objects which were tainted with magic.

They finally reached the minister's office, where a large oak door with intricate carvings impeded their way. Mr. Weasley knocked twice, and then opened the wooden door as he heard a light, "Come in."

"Just wait out here until I call you," he whispered to Ginny, who nodded, while fidgeting with her hands. She stood leaning against the wall, quietly listening to the conversation between her father and the minister, but could only hear small phrases coming from her father, who's voice was slightly higher pitched due to his excitement and earnestness. "…remarkable change," and "really wants this," were words that made her smile, as she knew exactly what they meant. She had been waiting for this opportunity to prove herself for what seemed like ages.

A few more excruciating minutes went by, with Ginny pacing in the small hall in front of the ministers door. At last, she heard her father call her name. She took a deep breath, and opened the door. Her eyes settled on a Minister Scrimgeour, who was indeed staring at her with wide eyes.

"Certainly this is not the same Ginny Weasley I remember from just a year ago!" He stood up and walked in a circle around her which made her blush. "Wonderful! I can tell you really wanted this. It must have been hell, what you went through to get where you are now. You'll definitely be put into the Auror training class, just as soon as you've filled out the required paperwork. The class starts the day after tomorrow, so I hope you're ready! Congratulations!"

Ginny's eyes widened as a broad smile broke out on her glossed lips. "Thank you so much, sir," she said as she shook his hand.

"Thank you, Ginny."

"Alright, dear, let's be off, now." Her father led her out again through the long corridors of the ministry and to the main exit. "I told you that muggle camp would pay off. Now, apparate home and tell your mum. Tell her I'll be there within the hour," he said to her as he reached forward to grasp her in a hug.

--

Ginny had been away from her family for seven months. She had finished her seventh year early, with permission granted by Headmistress McGonagall, and packed her bags for camp Whaka, a muggle renowned camp where overweight teens went to get in shape. Ginny's last visit to the minister had proven fruitless; he had told her that the type of work she wanted to do would not bode well with her weight. So, after doing lots of research, she and her parent's decided that "fat camp" would be the best decision. It was a vast decision, but Ginny had her reasons for wanting to be an Auror. After her older brother Charlie died in her fifth year as a result of a Death Eater attack, she felt the need to avenge his death, and that being an Auror was the only way to do so. A guilty conscience was mostly to blame for her need to avenge him; she told her self over and over again that his death wouldn't have happened if she hadn't begged him relentlessly to take a break from the rough-and-tough of the dragons and come home to visit her.

One night, as a result of the guilt and depression she felt from Charlie's death, she had a nightmare full of Death Eaters and Voldemort, taunting her and the rest of her family. She woke suddenly in the middle of her dorm room with clammy hands and a pale face. Her attempts to fall back asleep were futile and she quietly snuck out into the corridor of the seventh floor and made her way downstairs to the kitchen to have a chat with Dobby.

"Can Dobby get the Miss Weasley anything?" he'd innocently asked when she'd sat down, hoping to cheer her up.

She sighed and looked at him for a moment before saying, "Yeah, maybe some ice cream."

In that year, starting with that night, Ginny turned to food when she had nightmares to make her feel better, even just when she was feeling bitter, eventually gaining thirty pounds that year, and fifty in her sixth year. She knew she was destroying her body, but she hadn't cared.

--

"MUM!" Ginny screamed after having apparated into the living room, feeling calm and at home once again. Home coming the day hadn't been so fun, eventful, or fulfilling, as she'd arrived late, and was a little nostalgic about her friends at camp. After all, she'd been there for several months and had developed a special bond with the girls in her cabin. She walked into the kitchen hearing her mother call "in here," and saw the old red-head cooking dinner.

"The minister accepted me!" Ginny said, happily. Mrs. Weasley squealed, turned away from her preparations and threw her arms around Ginny - where her hands were once again able to clasp behind her daughters back. Both women silently praised the change.

Shaking off the tears she felt building up, Mrs. Weasley backed away and put on her usual happy face. "Oh I'm so glad! I'm so proud of you! This is wonderful! Sit down, I'll make us some tea while you tell me about camp," she said as she busied herself with pots and pans.

"What was it like being the only witch there?"

"It was painful. I missed being able to do magic. But I made some great friends. I kind of miss them... I mean we were there for 7 months together - a lot longer than any of the other kids who didn't come until the end of May and beginning of June. One was named Tally, and the other was named Jade. I wish you could have met them. The counselors met with each of us once a week to see how we were doing. They gave us guidelines and we had all these rules, which I'm sure I complained to you about on more than one occasion."

Mrs. Weasley chuckled. "How did they make you lose so much weight?" she asked, setting a cup of tea in front of Ginny.

"Wel, mostly they just kept us active," she said, picking up the cup and sipping from it. "We walked five laps around the track after breakfast, which was dreadful, at least for the first month. Then after we walked, we played volley ball for two hours. After lunch, we did water aerobics for two hours, which I liked. Then, once we changed clothes, we went to the gym for an hour and a half, and had dinner, and then we were free to do as we pleased. Sometimes instead of volley ball we played dodge ball or kick ball."

"It sounds like your muscles must have been quite sore," Mrs. Weasley commented.

"Well, yes, but It was worth it."

"Everyone is coming to see you tomorrow. They're so excited, especially Ron."

Ginny smiled, "I can't wait! How's the baby? What did they name it?" Ginny asked of Ron and Hermione's newborn, born just a few days before Ginny had left for home.

"They named him Thomas, and he's doing really well. He looks just like all of us, freckles and all."

"That's great. I have a nephew now!" She grinned, then wiggled a little uncomfortably. "I think I'll go and change into something more comfortable. The muggle jeans are nice, but kind of stiff. Dad said he'd be home within the hour."

She walked slowly up the stairs to her room, silently dreading the moment she would open her closet door. She hoped that by now, her old clothes would fit her, but wasn't all too sure that they would.

Discarding her muggle clothes, she reached into her dresser and pulled out her favorite corduroys. She slid them up – easily – and smiled when they buttoned without struggle. Looking down, though, she noticed the leg of the trousers was a little short. It looked as if she'd be wearing muggle clothing to her first day of training.

--

A quaint dinner passed quickly, with small talk of things that had changed since Ginny had been away. Once the dishes had been scourged clean, and everything else put back in its proper place, Ginny went to her room and pulled out the "CD player" that her muggle friend Jade had given to her.

"I just got a new one with a radio, so you can have this one," she'd said, handing her the electronic device, along with some CDs. For a while, Ginny had just looked at it like it was the strangest thing she'd ever seen.

"How do you work it?" she'd asked sheepishly.

"You've never had a CD player?"

Ginny remembered shaking her head, and hoping the girl wouldn't ask questions. Jade's curious stare had made her feel antsy, but thankfully the girl just shook her head and explained how the play worked.

Lying down on the bed in her room, which had been sorely missed while she was at camp, she put on her favorite song, "Moonlight Sonata," by Ludwig van Beethoven. Jade had said she played the piano, and could play all the songs on the disk.

With every changing note and chord in the emotional sonata, Ginny thought about what tomorrow would bring. Her friends and family, she thought, would not recognize her. Since she'd last seen them, in December, her hair had grown a good 5 or 6 inches longer than it had ever been, not to mention all the weight she'd lost.

--

"Ginny! Get up!" Her eyes opened to a familiar face that was framed by long red hair, and adorned by brown eyes. "Bill!" she screamed, and sat upright to give him a hug.

A happy Bill laughed, saying, "Stand up! Let me see how you look."

Ginny smiled and made to get up but quickly remembered, "Bill, I've got my PJ's on! Get out!"

The older man laughed once again and walked out shaking his head. With a grin on her face, Ginny dressed quickly into jeans and a blue t-shirt. She hoped there would be a good reaction from the people she cared about most. Excited for the day, she ran down the stairs two at a time, almost breaking her neck when she tripped over her own foot, and jumped the last three stairs down to the landing. She saw Bill sitting at the table looking handsome in his Gringott's uniform, probably having had to go into work for a couple hours before coming to see her. He smiled, his eyes wide as he stood up to circle around her, much like the minister had done just the day before.

"Ginny, you look amazing!"

She smiled and nodded, not wanting to seem like she was getting a big ego over all of this. Inside, she was thrilled, she knew she looked great and was proud of the work she'd done to get to this place. Bill hugged her, and whispered in her ear, "Charlie would be proud." Of all her brothers, Bill was the one that had recognized Ginny's depression as having to do with Charlie, and he'd confronted her that summer after her fifth year. It'd taken a lot to get Ginny to confess her ambitions, and her reason for feeling so much guilt. In the end, he was the one who had given her the most encouragement to follow her dreams.

Ginny smiled at him as she pulled away and mouthed, "Thanks."

"When is everyone getting here?" Ginny asked her mother, who was slaving away once again over breakfast.

"Harry should be here within the hour, and Ron and Hermione are coming at noon," replied Mrs. Weasley not turning her back from the food.

"What of Fred and George?"

"They're coming at one," replied Mr. Weasley who was just coming down the stairs. Ginny nodded and stifled a yawn as she sat down at the small wooden table with Bill.

"I heard you got the job," Bill half-inquired.

Ginny smiled, "Yep! As soon as the minister saw me, he said I could start in the next class."

"Here, breakfast," said Mrs. Weasley as she handed her two children a plate of bacon, eggs, and a biscuit.

"Thanks mum."

"Well, that's great. I wonder who you'll get paired with for training," Bill wondered aloud.

"Me, too. Hopefully Ron or Harry. I mean, I'm already nervous as it is."

Bill nodded and changed the subject. "How 'bout a game of Quidditch when everyone arrives?"

"Sure! I need to try out my broom again, I haven't flown since before I left Hogwarts," she said, feeling as if that was the part about being in the magical world that she'd missed the most.

A POPwas heard in the foyer, and then a friendly "hello" as a scruffy, yet clean-cut attractive Harry walked in, smiling. Everyone was smiling today, Ginny thought to her self, happy that her success was bringing at least some happiness to her family. Harry's eyes instantly laid upon Ginny and his smile turned to a grin as he opened his arms, inviting her to hug him. She stood, and hugged him, breathing in the scent of her missed friend. Once they parted, Harry laughed to himself, looking her over.

"What are you laughing at, you prat?" Ginny asked.

"It's just that you look like one of those models I saw yesterday at the muggle shopping mall. You look so good!"

Ginny smiled and thanked him as they both took seats at the table.

"Harry dear, are you hungry?" Mrs. Weasley asked, already preparing him a plate.

"I'm alright, I ate before I left. Thanks, though."

"Oh, non-sense!" she replied and set the plate in front of him. He laughed, along with Ginny and Bill.

"Hello, Bill," he said, "How are things going with work?"

"Oh, you know, the usual, Harry. The Goblins are just as cranky as ever."

Smirking, Harry turned his attention back to Ginny, who was tugging at his arm.

"What were you doing at a muggle shopping mall in the first place?" Ginny asked.

"My girlfriend says they have the best fashion. She hates witch and wizard fashion," he explained, and smiled.

"Oh, I see! What's her name? I didn't hear about this!"

"Her name is Mabel, she went to Hogwarts, but she was two years ahead of me, in Ravenclaw. I met her last year when I began my Auror training."

"That's cute."

Harry smiled, "So how have you been? Did you get the Auror job?" he asked.

Ginny nodded, still chewing a mouthful of food. "Yeah, says the minister accepted her right away!" Bill commented.

"Maybe you'll get paired with me or Ron for training," said Harry, hoping to quell some of the nervous he was sure she felt. He was just as nervous when he'd first began.

--

An hour of idle chit-chat and a game of chess between Harry and Bill passed, and Ron and Hermione arrived with their small bundle of joy, Thomas. Ginny gushed over her new nephew, cooing over his "cute little freckles!", while Ron and Hermione gushed over her. When Fred and George arrived, they made harmless jokes about Ginny's weight loss.

A Quidditch game ensued, with Mr. Weasley participating, albeit clumsily. Harry, still the great seeker he was in his Hogwarts years, caught the small ball that they had charmed to fly in just under five minutes, so they played another game until dinner.

"Alright, this time, Harry, just pretend like the snitch is too fast for you. You know, take your time catching it, so the rest of us can enjoy a little flying time," George teased.

"Who says Harry will catch it anyway?" Bill asked playfully, since he was the Seeker of Ginny's team.

Even though Mr. Weasley wasn't an excellent flyer, his team still won after Harry caught the snitch, much to Bill's chagrin.

"Good game, guys," Ginny said as they all entered the house, ready for the feast Mrs. Weasley had prepared.

"It's great to have everyone here after all this time. I've been cooking meals for only two people for so long!" said Mrs. Weasley over dinner. Everyone laughed or smiled at her comment.

"Well, the food is great, mum. Fleur will be sorry she missed out," Bill said, explaining her absence from the evening's events. Stomachs were fattened, and hearts warmed as dinner stretched on. Especially for Ginny, the evening was a terrific one.

As the night settled down, and everyone returned to their homes, Ron and Hermione being the first to leave once Thomas started fussing, Ginny lay in her bed and couldn't wait for the next day. She'd finally be able to start Auror training; finally be able to fulfill her goals.