"Ginny's walkabout"

Ginny just got all of her stuff, including her trunk, off the Hogwarts Express. It was the beginning of July and term had just ended of Hogwarts, school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Her older brothers, Fred and George had promised to take her of the train and get her home. However, Ginny did had some doubts about this idea for both of them were practical jokers, but the simply hadn't been another way. So she gave a sigh and slowly approached to the gate to get back into muggle world off platform nine and three-quarters.

Loads of parents were already waiting on platforms nine and ten for their children to get back. Ginny searched if she could find some vivid red between the mass of black, brown and blond. She fought her way through the crowd, but once outside she still hadn't found her brothers. Slowly she started to get annoyed. They better hoped that it was not one of their funny jokes.

Ginny decided not to give up too easily and therefore, on her high heels, she walked all the way through King's Cross until she stood outside, still alone in the shining sun.

'For goodness sake, they are just impossible,' Ginny muttered, while she turned around to go back.

Then one of her heels was trapped in a hole in the street. When Ginny was trying to get it out and madly muttering rude words to no one, the heel broke.

'Brilliant, now it is out, but useless.'

She took of the broken stiletto, put it in her trunk with the rest of her things and once more returned to platform's nine and ten.

By now, nearly everybody from Hogwarts had already gone. Ginny tried the gateway to get back, but it was sealed now. She did some quick thinking and thought it was best if she just tried to get back by muggle train or something else.

She tried to remain calm, but at the same time was furious at Fred and George. How could they have done something like this? Or they could have simply forgotten, but that seemed very unlikely to her.

Ginny dragged her trunk along now getting to the ticket counter. She had to wait fifteen minutes for some stupid woman who was arguing about something with the man behind the counter. Finally, the woman disappeared and it was Ginny's turn. The man behind the counter was in his forties and clearly bored with his job.

'Yes?' he asked.

'I need a ticket the nearest station to St Catchpole village,' Ginny asked quickly.

'Sure, that would cost you about twenty-five pounds, sweet,' the man told her.

'I don't have any muggle money, I just have sickles and knuts and I doubt you would find them useful, so just give me the ticket.

'Sorry sweet, but I can't do that. I need to keep my job.'

'My dear sir, my brothers just left me here on my own, I broke my shoe just now, I am carrying a heavy trunk with me, I am very annoyed, I will get that ticket from you now and I am NOT your sweet,' Ginny quickly and loudly replied. 'Now give me the ticket or I swear I'll curse you.'

'All right, easy! Here is your sodding ticket, go, please go,' the man said frightened and he gave her the ticket.

'Thank you,' Ginny now friendly said to him and walked away towards platform four.

Finally, she was in her train and could sit down and relax. However, it was not the end of her adventure as she had hoped.

'The terminal of central London. Please all leave the train at this station,' a voice said through the intercom after Ginny had only sat for about half an hour in the train.

'What?' she said implausible.

She took the ticket out of her pocket and now looked closely at it for the first time. It was a ticket only to get to central London, but no further.

'That complete git,' she angrily muttered, 'if I ever meet him again, I will curse him.'

However, she had now no other choice then to grab her things again and get off the train. A new idea came to her. She would take a cab, let it take her to the visitors entrance of the Ministry of Magic and from there, she could get home by flowpowder.

She hauled her trunk with her, and walked to the street to stop a taxi. Desperate she was again when apparently now taxi wanted to stop for her. Finally, a taxi got to the side of the road and Ginny could get in.

'To Warwick Street, please,' Ginny said after pushing her trunk into the car and settling down next to it.

The driver just nodded his head to let her know he had understood it and then drove off. Twenty minutes later, they had already arrived at Warwick Street.

For the first time, the driver turned himself around to face Ginny. He was a very handsome man around his late twenties. He had brown long hair, big blue eyes and a kind face. For a muggle, there was no other word for him then a cool rocker.

'That would be five pound seventy then, miss,' he said with a lovely smile.

'I…uhm…I don't have any money with me,' Ginny replied in a small voice.

'Really?' he asked curiously.

This time, Ginny simply nodded as an answer.

'Well, then I think that I will have to save this princess life today, by just letting you go after this short free ride,' he smiled again.

'Thank you so much. Thank you,' Ginny stumbled.

'Never mind, it is my daily job to save pretty princesses like you. Now go quickly before anyone notices. Bye,' he added with a wink.

'Goodbye,' Ginny muttered and pulled her trunk out.

Once she was safely on the sidewalk, the taxi drove away slowly and Ginny could still make out that he waved at her. She waved back and when he had totally disappeared in the mass of cars and people, she walked off towards an old red telephone box in the street next to her.

Once she was in the small space, together with all her stuff, she dialled six, two, four, four, two. A voice of a woman began to speak.

'Good afternoon, welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and purpose.'

'Ginny Weasley, on an adventure trip to home,' she quickly spoke.

'Thank you, please put the button on your clothes, and have a nice day further.'

'I bet I will,' Ginny muttered as a single button came rolling out of the change. It read: Ginny Weasley, adventure trip.

The telephone box began to sink down into the floor, as Ginny sighed and put the button in her pocket. It was now dark everywhere around her and her feet were starting to ache.

Finally, light appeared and within seconds, she was standing in the gleaming hall of the Ministry of Magic.

It wasn't very busy, most of the people were clearly going home and some were still arriving. Ginny walked off towards the desk where a man sat who could help her get home. Or at least, that was her plan. The wizard was reading the Daily Prophet.

'Good afternoon,' Ginny said politely.

'Afternoon,' the wizard grunted, clearly annoyed by being interrupted in his reading.

'I would like to use one of the grates and some flowpowder to get home,' Ginny said.

'Do you work here?' he asked.

'No, of course not. I'm a student at Hogwarts and my brothers were supposed to pick me up, but they didn't. So now I'm trying to get home in another way,' Ginny said sadly.

'Not my problem.'

'Listen, you are not the first person I'll have to threaten today to get what I want. I shall repeat, I broke my shoe, I am carrying a heavy trunk with me, I am very annoyed, you will help me get home and if not I swear, you will regret it forever,' Ginny replied angrily once more.

'I am sure I will,' the wizard replied uninterested.

Then Ginny pulled out her wand and pointed it directly at the wizard.

'Now.'

'Alright, I will help you if you will just point your wand at something else and give me some space.'

Slowly she removed her wand. The wizard got up, dragged her trunk into one of the grates, helped Ginny get behind it and handed her a hand of flowpowder.

'Thank you that you were so kind to help,' Ginny said smiling before she through the powder down and shouted 'The Burrow'. She could still see the amazed and stunned look on the wizard's face, when she started spinning.

Due to the trunk, she couldn't stop herself in time and therefore, fell face forward in to the kitchen of the Burrow on top of her trunk.

For it was a beautiful day, the house was quiet and everybody was probably outside. Ginny left her trunk for what it was and stepped outside to find her beloved brothers Fred and George. She found them sitting in the garden in the shadow of the trees.

'Hello, Ginny. How was your term?' George asked.

'Term was fine, but haven't you forgotten to do something today?' Ginny asked.

'Not that I know, why?' Fred asked puzzled.

'Really nothing you can think off?' Ginny tried again trying to remain calm.

Both Fred and George shook their head.

'Then let me tell you. It has to do with me, the Hogwarts Express, today and picking something up.'

'Wait I think I remember…' George started.

'Indeed, we had to take you off the Hogwarts Express,' Fred finished.

They both started grinning.

'For once, I'm being very honest that I totally forgot,' George said.

'Really, but you did make it home, didn't you?' Fred said.

'Yes I might it home alright!' Ginny started shouting now. 'But in the meantime, you were sitting here on your lazy backs while I had to threaten three people to get here, the heel of my shoe broke and it took me hours longer then it normally would have!'

'Ginny, we are really sorry,' Fred said, as George nodded in agreement.

'Well, I don't really care any more,' she replied and pointed her wand at them.

Nothing seemed to happen at first, but then the twins started to notice something.

'Ginny, why are you suddenly so big?' George asked.

'It is not me who is big…' she answered grinning. 'Crookshanks come out and play.'

'No Ginny, please,' Fred begged.

'I'd better start running,' was all Ginny replied before the shadow of an enormous cat emerged.