She continued exchanging letters with Hermione, growing to like the girl even more as time passed. They weren't very similar, but Ginny found Hermione refreshing. She wasn't like other girls Ginny's age, she was much more mature and intelligent, and Ginny appreciated that. The only exciting thing that happened to Ginny in March was when her dad took her to work. Her mum had to run errands, and Ginny didn't really want to go with her. Mrs. Weasley wasn't comfortable with Ginny staying home by herself, so she shipped her off with Mr. Weasley.
Ginny, and the other Weasley children, had all spent the day at the Ministry with their father before. It wasn't a common occurrence but it happened. It could be quite boring, as her dad spent most of his day filling out the paperwork that kept coming into his office in a never-ending stream. She couldn't imagine herself doing his job, but her dad seemed to enjoy it.
She had spent the last few hours playing Exploding Snap with Perkins, her dad's officemate, when her dad asked her to deliver a note to the office a floor below. She appreciate the chance to stretch her legs. She made her way to the elevator at the end of the hall, and delivered the note to an older witch in some bureaucratic office. The witch thanked Ginny heavily, she seemed to be overrun with the small paper airplanes that zoomed around the Ministry of Magic. She gave Ginny a piece of Drooble's gum as a token of her thanks and Ginny made her way back to the lift.
She waited a minute or two for the lift to arrive, and stepped in quickly when it got to her floor. As it was the middle of the afternoon, not many people were in the elevator. Most were stuck in their offices, swamping through paperwork like her father. There was a man about her father's age in the elevator when she walked in. She didn't recognize him right away, but he apparently recognized her.
"Another Weasley?" the man drawled, switching his elegant cane to his other hand. "How many of there are you?"
"Seven," Ginny supplied helpfully. Although the man appeared to be rather arrogant, Ginny tried to be as friendly as she could. "I'm Ginny." She stuck her hand out, but the man made no move to shake her hand.
"Lucius Malfoy," he drawled. Ginny quickly pulled her hand back, and glared at the tall man.
"Oh," she said. The blonde-haired man returned her glare, and Ginny wondered why the lift was taking so long.
"A female Weasley," Malfoy said. "It's been a while since one of those." He seemed to appraise her, before turning away in disgust.
"Several generations," Ginny said coldly. Finally, the lift stopped on her father's floor. "Mr. Malfoy," she said curtly.
"Run along to your father, girl." The doors closed on Malfoy's blonde figure, and Ginny turned away, deciding not to tell her father of the encounter.
Malfoy stood in the lift, on his way to see the Minister, considering the young Weasley girl. She appeared to be about Draco's age, but clearly was younger as she wasn't as Hogwarts.
She could work, he thought to himself, staring at his austere expression in the reflection of the elevator. He decided a trip to Gringrotts was in order, he needed to retrieve a certain diary from his vault.