Hello everyone!
Spring is certainly around the corner in most European countries. The days are lighter and the weather is not as frosty. For those who don't know, the spring equinox is at the end of March. Spring equinox is the day where the sun is exactly above the equator. This means that the length of the day and night are nearly equal in all parts of the world. Since spring is in the second half of the school year, most seniors in high school or university are looking for jobs or applying for school. Hogwarts is probably no exception to this.
Note for the diehard fans: I have included some events in this chapter just for you. Can you find them all?
Through the seasons – spring equinox.
Hazel eyes gazed into the mirror. She could feel butterflies in her stomach as she splashed lukewarm water onto her face. Today was March 21st – the Quidditch teams would announce the positions they were looking for. 'I REALLY hope the UK teams are looking for seekers or chasers. Harry can't move to the continent yet due to his position after all' recalled the female as she massaged the herbal liquid into her skin. Her boyfriend had passed the first part of his Auror exams, which was terrific news for the Weasley family. The young man had been flustered since he had expected the worst yet hoped for the best. He would be an Auror within a year if he passed the rest of his exams.
Ginny however had been in more of a pickle when she was going to choose her career. She was not dumb by any means, but not as academically inclined as Hermione. The young woman was not that interested in biology or ecology like Luna either. But her career chat with McGonagall last month had presented her with a new option. She had suggested her to apply for a seeker or chaser position at one of the British Quidditch teams. Quite a few former Hogwarts students had become quite famous players, trainers or even commentators throughout the years. Her suggestion had stuck with Ginny. She had played at the Gryffindor team for nearly three years and had been captain for one of them. In addition, Gryffindor had won the cup during her two first years at the team.'I just hope we win the next match we got. That would be fantastic' thought the female while rinsing the soap off.
She put on some magical moisturizer that would even out her complexion. Her makeup routine was laughably simple. It consisted of magical moisturizer, tinted lip balm, pale light brown mascara plus some concealer if she had blemishes. But the redhead did not see the point in caking on makeup since her fellow students knew how she looked like. And even magical makeup could not withstand the average Quidditch training session without being smeared across her face. 'Calm down Ginny. You got this. Remember that you can work at the 'Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes' or apply as a sports writer for a newspaper or radio. Except from the station where Lee Jordan works – I doubt a lot of people could outperform him' thought the young woman. She had heard him a couple times when he commentated on Quidditch matches in the UK. He was more energetic compared to the older commentators plus a sense of humor that even appealed to her parents. They had been supportive to her idea, especially since she had done quite a good job at the Quidditch team after Harry had graduated. But they advised her to have a backup plan as well in case there were no jobs or no teams that accepted her. Her mother had told her to not take any rejections too harsh. "Remember that they're looking for a wide range of people on those teams. There are probably hundreds of applicants as well. Don't take it personal if they don't choose you" told Molly with a warm look in her brown eyes. Her statement still made Ginny smile – she was extremely lucky to have such a loving mother.
'Right. Time to choose my outfit' thought the female as she returned to her bedroom. Today was Sunday, so there was no need for a uniform. She decided to go with dark blue straight jeans, a simple white T-shirt plus the golden yellow knitted sweater with red Fair isle decorations around the neckline and sleeves. It was her mother who had knitted the latter piece of clothing. 'Right. Time to get some lunch' decided the teenager after putting on her shoes. She had spent about an hour to catch up on some homework plus another half hour to read about the topic for tomorrow's charm lesson. Afterwards, the Weasley had to write a letter to her parents. They had sent her a letter two days earlier with all of the logistics. Her older brothers Bill and Percy plus her sister-in-law Fleur were staying from Sunday to Wednesday. Ron as well as George could only stay there from Tuesday to Thursday. They had a huge number of customers nowadays thanks to their better marketing strategies. Harry had promised he would be at the Burrow from Wednesday to Saturday. Hermione and Luna were going to stay with their respective families during the break.
'We have one more week left until the spring break starts. I think I'll leave on Sunday next week and stay until Friday. That means I can say hello to all of my brothers while still having some time to prepare for my N.E.W.T's' concluded the young woman after she had checked the calendar. She pulled out a sheet of parchment and wrote down the information on it. After writing her usual good bye signature, Ginny left the room to post the letter. She noticed that there were more students in the hallways now compared to just six weeks earlier. It was probably due to the shift in seasons. The female felt her lips form a small smile as she walked out of the castle. Several of the plants in the greenhouse as well as the gardens had started to bloom while the sleet had been replaced by light rain. Rays of sun light were peeking through the dreary gray clouds that floated across the skies. A scent of wet grass combined with damp soil tingled her nose. 'It smells like spring' concluded the redhead as she walked towards the owlery. She enjoyed spring since the nature was waking up after its long sleep. Hooting could be heard from the tower where the owls were staying. But when the young woman stepped into the owlery, she saw a familiar head of blonde hair. "Luna? What are you doing here? I thought you were going to work at your herbology paper" inquired the Weasley. Her friend turned around. "Oh – hello Ginny. I just remembered that I had to tell my father which date I was coming. I wasn't sure if I was going to take the Friday or Sunday train. I decided on Sunday since my father has his deadline on Saturday" informed Luna. Her father was still the editor of "The Quibbler", which was still going strong. "I'm leaving on Sunday as well. None of my siblings or my boyfriend are going to be at the Burrow any earlier" replied the female while looking for a suitable owl.
"I see. Oh – look" told the young woman while pointing at something behind her friend. Ginny turned around to see what it was. Her hazel eyes widened when she saw a snowy white owl perch at one of the twigs. 'That owl looks just like Hedwig. But it's a bit smaller with no black bars on it. Perhaps it's a male bird' pondered the young woman. The bird looked at her as she approached him with steady steps. It felt a bit eerie in a way since snowy owls were not very common in England. In fact, there were few school owls that were of that specie. "Hey there. Could you please deliver a letter for me?" inquired the redhead. A pair of bright golden eyes looked at her with curiosity. "I want you to deliver this to my parents in Ottery Saint Catchpole. They'll take care of you when you arrive. There's nothing magical in here like a howler" promised the female. She remembered how vary Errol had been after her mother had sent that scarlet red letter to Ron after driving to Hogwarts in the Ford Anglia. The snowy owl looked at her for a moment before it stretched its head slightly forwards. Ginny extended the hand holding the letter towards the bird. She made sure not to move too fast or do any sudden movements. The bird then grabbed the letter before leaving the tower in a set of fluid motions.
"Whoa. That was a little creepy" muttered the young woman. "I think it was quite sweet. Maybe it's Hedwig's way of telling you that she's still looking out for you and Harry" told the Ravenclaw while handing her letter to a barn owl. It sounded a bit far-fetched for the female however. Especially since Harry was not going to be the one receiving her letter. "I'm going back to the Great Hall for some lunch. Are you coming?" inquired the redhead. "I'll come a bit later. I need to sort out my laundry first" replied the female. "All right, see you later then" told the young woman as she walked out of the tower. She nearly walked straight into a dark-skinned Hufflepuff student who appeared to be no older than 13 years old. 'Merlin. Those students are getting smaller each year. Or perhaps I'm just the one growing older' realized the Gryffindor as she walked back to the castle. It felt odd to be 18 years old with the younger students being only 12-13 years old. She could still remember how it felt like to cross the lake on the small boats before they met McGonagall. Her first year had not been the best experience due to the cursed diary plus the enormous snake hiding around in the pipes. Ginny was happy that her parents was going to Egypt that summer. Leaving the rainy British Isles for a while to experience a different culture had been just what she needed. It didn't made matters worse that she was staying with her family all the time. A smile formed at her face as she entered the grand building. Having a large family could be a bit of a nuisance, especially when you were the only girl with six older brothers. But it had taught her to not give up plus that your opinion counted just as much as others.
A familiar smell of toast, omelet, apples, coffee and tea tingled her nose upon entering the Great Hall. Her hazel eyes spotted a seat at the far end of the Gryffindor table that was close to the windows. She had just sat down when a familiar flutter of wings could be heard. The owls were coming with the Sunday mail. Unlike the muggle world, the wizard world had mail un Sundays as well. 'OK Ginny. Let's hope for the best' prayed the female when an owl dropped a copy of the Daily Prophet next to a bowl with apples in it. Her hands were shaking a little as she flipped to the job adverts section. 'Whoa! There are quite a few here!' noticed the redhead upon reading the adverts. There were at least ten different adverts that were quidditch related.
'Let's see. The Falmouth Falcons are looking for a new keeper. Out of the question for me at least, but maybe I should tell Ron' mused the young woman. 'Then we got the Ballycastle Bats…they're looking for a manager plus a beater. I can't apply for any of those. The Scottish national team are on the hunt for a seeker as well as a chaser. Maybe I should give the seeker part a go' decided the teenager before she draw a circle around the advert with her wand. 'The Daily Prophet in Scotland wants a new sports writer for the Quidditch section. I'll have that one for my backup. Appleby Arrows are searching for a beater as well as a chaser. I think I'll give that one a try as well. The Montrose Magpies are in need of a beater plus a reserve…not quite what I'm looking for. Ooh. This one looks good' thought the female when she saw an advert for the Holyhead Harpies. They were searching for two new chasers for next year. 'The Holyhead Harpies are an all-women team, which should increase my chances. Definitely on the top of my list' concluded Ginny as she circled the last advert. She turned the page around before serving herself some lunch. Her appetite had shrunk due to the nerves for applying a job.
It was getting real. In just three short months, the teenager was leaving Hogwarts for good. She would live in an apartment somewhere instead of the Gryffindor dormitory room with the other girls. Her friends would probably not live in the same city as her, but magic was quite handy in terms of travel. The young woman could still remember what Harry had told her about traveling in the muggle world. Even if airplanes were able to take you across the globe, it was way more time-consuming than floo powder for instance. That reminded her of the living situation. Would she be living with Harry or were they better of separately first? They were both Gryffindors, so they had shared a common room as well as eating space. But sharing a kitchen, living room, bathing room plus the bedroom (!) together was quite a different story. 'Get a grip Ginevra! It will turn out well. But I better find the template McGonagall gave us for writing job applications. But I wonder how I should apply for Quidditch. I bet they have an audition of some sort to see how good my skills are. Maybe I should check the Quidditch bios in the magazines Ron sent me' concluded the brother had given her a subscription to a Quidditch magazine plus some personalized Quidditch gear as a birthday present last year. She had been quite happy about it. Those kinds of presents were those that you always needed, but not always bought yourself. Each edition of the magazine contained results of recent matches in Europe plus a number of interviews with players or trainers. There was a fun fact about different teams in the back too, which never failed to make her laugh. The young woman put some omelet on her toast after turning the next page.
'Whoa. The Celestina Warbeck concerts have donated more than 1000 galleons to the magical hospital in Cardiff! The 'Flighty Aphrodite' tour must have gone really well. Too bad mum couldn't get any tickets' recalled the teenager. Since the singing witch was so popular, the tickets were often sold for immensely high prices at the black market. It had even caused a three-broom pileup near Liverpool just six weeks ago. But the female was happy that the popular singer was giving back to the community – especially to something like a hospital. 'Let's see how the Quidditch results are' thought Ginny as she flipped to the next page. The Falmouth Falcons had tied with the Wigtown Wanderers, which surprised her a little. Both of the seekers had apparently tried to catch the snitch when both teams had 100 points. A combination of sweat plus a sudden downpour caused the seeker duo lose the grip of their broomsticks. As a result, the two players collided with a chaser from each team. The match was called off since more than two players from both teams were unable to continue.
"Hello Ginny" called a voice, pulling her back to the real world. Said woman turned around to see who it was. "Hello Hermione! Whoa – what has happened with your hair?" whispered the female. Her friends bushy brown hair appeared to be soaking wet and had a hint of green in it. "I'm trying out an herbal remedy that professor Sprout recommended. I've mixed aloe vera gel, Irish moss plus some gomas barbadensis. But the downside is that it needs at least an hour to kick in" replied Hermione after she had sat down. "I'm sure it'll work out. If it doesn't, I'm sure madam Pomfrey can sort it out. Just like the time Dean's hair turned bright orange during the transfiguration class" recalled the redhead. Dean had been partnered up with Justin during the human transfiguration class. The latter had ended up with bright purple hair while the other guy ended up with tangerine colour hair. But the problem was that his afro hair hold onto the colour a lot better than his classmates. Madam Pomfrey had to use a magical dye lotion before cutting off two inches of it. Thankfully, the Gryffindor did not mind since his hair grew quite fast.
"Speaking of which – are you applying for any of the St. Mungo positions? I'm quite sure they had quite a few available" told the younger woman. Her friend had a thoughtful expression while she poured herself a cup of tea. "Well – I was kind of tempted since they got quite a good salary. But I was thinking more about applying for a position at the Ministry of Magic. Kingsley had posted a huge number of adverts in the Friday's edition of the Daily Prophet. Some of them requested people who had taken muggle studies or had a lot of knowledge about the muggle society. There was one however that picked my interest as well. It was one regarding regulations of magical creatures" admitted Hermione. "Really? Why is that?" inquired the Gryffindor. She knew that the older female had (as always) received top marks in care of magical creatures. But her friend was not currently taking the subject or shown a huge interest in magical creatures like Luna did. "I actually wanted to continue with my work on S.P.E.W. I think non-humans such as house-elves deserves better treatment. And the ministry are already creating new laws regarding several underprivileged groups" replied the brunette.
What she said resounded with what was going on. After Voldemort was gone, the ministry had started to reform several outdated laws. There had been protests – especially from pureblood families plus traditional groups. But there were plenty of people agreeing with the new ministry of magic. Voldemort was gone and it was time to get rid of old prejudices. "Sounds exciting Hermione. Fingers crossed that we'll get the jobs we've applied for" said her friend with a gleam in her hazel eyes. "Oh? Have you applied for jobs too?" inquired the female while she raised her eyebrows in wonder. "Well, I'm thinking about applying for a couple of Quidditch teams. I've already found two teams in the UK that are looking for a seeker or chaser. I'm probably going to send in an application for the Daily Prophet's Quidditch section as well" informed Ginny. She was fully aware of that her cheeks were probably more red than usual. Just talking about it made her a little nervous. "Good for you Ginny! I'm sure you'll do great. I mean, several Gryffindor Quidditch players have been recruited by professional teams. I need to go now – I promised to help Luna with some charms. See you later Ginny" said Hermione. "See you later Hermione" replied the redhead. She could not help but to smile a little bit. Maybe leaving Hogwarts would not be so hard as she had thought it would be.
So...did you find the clues I left for you? Please let me know in a review or message. Constructive criticism and praise are much appreciated. I hope you have a nice spring wherever you are!