CHAPTER TWO: How to Slip a Space Dino Familiar Into Hogwarts

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Lights flashed against closed lids but the slamming of the compartment's doors and her brothers' loud voices ruined the few seconds of peace Ginny had. Hermione had taken the boys out to talk about something important and the twins were trying to find Lee, but now they were back.

She let out a soft sigh through rose colored lips, before opening her eyes and looking around the compartment. She at last was on her way to Hogwarts.

At last she'd be able to get her hands on some books to find a spell to trap Peter in rat form and send him off to Amelia Bones. For years Ginny had to restrain herself from not hitting the rat over the head with a frying pan, the very idea of him being in her brothers' rooms throughout the years made her skin crawl. As it was she had to actively make sure Tyron didn't accidentally eat him when he went hunting. It would all pay off though if Harry could get away from his current abusive situation.

"...house do you think you'll be sorted in, Ginny?" Hermione was smiling at her encouragingly no doubt remembering how it was to be a lonesome girl entering a frightful new world at Hogwarts.

The redheaded girl smiled across the way at her brother's friend, "I don't think I'll be in Gryffindor."

Ron perked up, his mouth full of a chocolate frog Harry had gotten him. "You have to be in Gryffindor! Weasleys have always been Gryffindors!"

Hermione looked at him with a look of slight derision, "Don't talk with your mouth full, Ron." She turned back to Ginny with a bright smile, "I think you will be brilliant in any house!"

Ginny's braided ginger hair fell to the side as she tilted her head, "Even Slytherin?"

Ron gaped and Hermione's face showed more disgust as he showed the rest of the compartment his mouth full of chocolate.

"You can't be a bloody snake!"

"Language, Ron!" Hermione's bay eyes flashed.

His sister smirked, "And what if I am?"

Ron was turning as red as his hair. Hermione was looking between the two of them with exasperation. Ginny stared them both down. However, all three turned when Harry spoke up from Ginny's right.

"I heard from Ron you got an interesting wand. Can I see it?"

Her warm chocolate eyes sparkled and despite the slightly taboo question she acquiesced and took out her wand. It was considered rude in most circles to inquire after a person's wand and the makeup of it, since the bond between a wand and its mage was nearly as sacred as the familiar bond.

Hermione gasped across the way, "How fascinating!"

Ginny's lip corners twitched when she saw how the girl was nearly on the edge of the seat across the way. She could nearly see the hundreds of questions forming in her mind.

"I got it when I was in Egypt with my brothers."

Hermione's fingers reached across the space but stopped a breath's distance away from where Ginny held her wand on her palms.

"I've never seen a wood like that before."

Ginny simply smiled. Hermione wouldn't have ever seen the wood before, no one would have at least not on Earth. As she caressed the auburn wood grain that twisted in a spiral along a cohesive chrome silver grain she remembered how she came to have it in her hands.

After visiting the dig site in the ancient section of Magical Egypt that was recently being excavated Bill took her (and Charlie) on an adventure in the restored areas of the magical district. It was there that they came across an alley that both her brothers had not even noticed until she had drifted into it drawn by the iridescent cobblestones and the familiar hum of its magic.

It was a quiet alley, no other shops except for one at the end. There was only one small sign over an even smaller door, that both her brothers had to nearly crawl through.

However, it was the writing that made her know it was a place she was supposed to find. The writing was the same she remembered from her times speaking with her 'case worker'; all square lines but swooping swirling patterns running through the words.

However, while the owners did not have iridescent skin their eyes were wise. They directed them through to the back where a great open space of land stretched out to the horizon.

"Here we create your wand according to what your magic calls to yourself. Some have found that the creature who bequeaths a part of themselves for the core will also become their familiar. Others find other surprises in store for them."

When Gin had closed her eyes and let her magic free, she was pulled toward their wand wood forest first. She passed by many trees she recognized, and many that she did not until she reached a tree that was truly otherworldly in nature.

It was much smaller than all the other trees, it in fact was only as tall as her at its highest bough whereas its 'hair' or leaves swirled in the sky several more feet above her in a flame of color. The boughs were shaped just so that if you stepped back it would look like a tree on fire with its swirling leaves of orange, yellows and crimsons. Its trunk twisted up swirling with an almost shimmering quality matching the colors of the leaves while its paired color was the chrome silver that would later also reflect in her wand.

Charlie let out a laugh, "A Weasley tree if I ever saw one." When he finished laughing, Charlie had straightened his spine and tugged down on his moss colored dueling robes before he jumped forward. "Is that a dragon?"

Bill had stepped forward and placed himself in front of Ginny. However, she peeked around and found herself catching the eye of a strange beast reminiscent of something from the Jurassic era. It yipped almost cheerfully as soon as it caught sight of her and leapt forward. Both her brothers had drawn their wands but she had stepped forward, her magic pulling her towards him.

"Hello, I didn't think I'd ever get to meet an actual dinosaur before."

The creature looked much like how the Dilophosaurus were described as possibly looking like. Lean muscular scaled body with a ridge along its spine and down its tail. Arms short with clawed hands but with what looked like wings that were even feathered from elbow to his side. A sunset orange crested frill sat upon a sharp nose and jagged teeth shined when he opened his mouth to let out a little growl like yip. It was however the rest of his coloring that made her think he might not have been plucked from the early Jurassic age. His scales were once more that familiar opalescent chrome silver, his wing tips a dark midnight blue almost black that glistened in the light and his round eyes were a shimmering amber.

"You are beautiful." Ginny laughed as she watched the reptile stretch its neck out and its frill on top of his head flared proudly as he shook out his wings and nearly pranced to her side. She reached her hand out slowly and the dino bumped his nose against her hand requesting a pet.

"I'll be damned." Charlie whistled lowly behind her.

A pop came nearby making all three redheads and one space dino's head swivel to the right. The owner's had joined them in the clearing, knowing smiles upon their lips. At their sides was another redhead much smaller in stature he looked at them all with piercing eyes until they rested upon the only 11 year old in the clearing.

He walked forward, none of his swagger taken away from the slight waddle his backward feet might have incurred upon anyone other than someone who had lived a long lifetime in them. His piercing forest green eyes looked over Ginny with a speculative air before reaching her eyes, and when she felt the nudge on her Occlumency walls she let them down on instinct. His eyes narrowed further and he humphed loudly before pulling a hair from his head and darker crimson curl from his beard.

"You will do." He popped away as soon as he handed her the hairs.

Ginny broke out of her reminiscing when Granger spoke up once more bringing her back to the present, "You got your familiar from the same place, right?"

Ginny blinked and looked down at the miniature Tyron in her lap, before smiling at her brother's friend. "Yes, he was a welcome surprise."

After all, having a familiar that could shift different sizes was terribly convenient when trying to convince your parents and a snoopy Headmaster that your familiar would not be a harm to anyone.