Note: I've just read over everything I've written in this story and.... Wow.
I hate my writing. I'll write this next chapter, but I'm not sure how to
finish this because I didn't know where it was going when I started it.
Most of the time I get bored, sit down and start typing. Nothing makes
sense... It wouldn't be possible for Raven to have been born and all that fun
stuff. If she's Ginny's age, then she would have been born after Harry.
Then I thought, maybe she's George's age, but then she would be out of
Hogwarts. I just messed this story up. So I'll be changing it, rewriting
chapters and whatnot.
Ginny Weasley sat on her bed and heaved a heavy sigh. A few days from now and she would be starting school again. It seemed like a life time ago since she had last been at school, since she had last seen her best friend, a life time when things seemed normal. She was staring out the window, watching her brothers Ron, Fred, George and Charlie playing Quidditch. Harry had been staying for a few months now at their house and seemed to be in the same spirits as Ginny, though she didn't blame him. He'd been through so much shit lately, especially with the death of his godfather, Sirius.
Throughout the summer, Ginny had been changing. Not just by her physical looks but mentally as well. By all means, she had changed physically. She wasn't the same shy and cute little sister around the Burrow any longer. She chopped her long hair off one day into a bob style hair cut and lined her eyes with black eyeliner. Her mother had been complaining about the way she looked and acted lately.
There was a small knock on her door and it opened slowly. Bill, one of her older brothers, stepped inside. He smiled at her and shut the door. He walked over to the window where Ginny was looking. He too smiled down at the Quidditch players.
"So, how have you been?" Bill asked. "Mind if I smoke?"
Ginny shook her head. "I don't know."
Bill inhaled the cigarette. "Well, it's actually a simple question; either it's good or bad. Personally, I've been good, but I've got my reasons." He winked, referring to his new girlfriend, Fleur Delacour, a part veela.
"Then I must be shitty," Ginny said, still gazing out the window. "Everything seems so... different."
"Yeah, welcome to life Ginny. It's called maturity, I went through the same thing, everyone does," Bill said. "Just don't let it get you down. You should be finding who you are, not dwelling over the past you."
"Tell that to mum," Ginny muttered. "Is she still on about your hair?"
"Oh yeah," Bill smiled, touching his hair longingly. "And the smoking thing, but there's nothing she can do about it."
Bill put his cigarette out and sighed. "We should go out and play. I was thinking about dragging my old broom out, give a try. What do you say?"
Ginny considered this, "I just might."
"Well," Bill strode over to the door, "I'll see you down there maybe."
He walked out just as Ginny heard her mother fussing. Over who and what was a mystery. She crept to the edge of the stairs quietly. Her mother's voice wasn't hard to hear at all.
"You're a mess! What happened?" her mother screeched.
"Nothing, I just fell, that's all," a voice said. Ginny ran down the stairs and tripped on the hem of her patchwork skirt, nearly tumbling. A girl was standing meekly in front of Mrs. Weasley, although she was clearly taller than the short and plump woman. She had dyed purple hair and two different colored eyes; a pale violet and electric blue.
"Raven!" Ginny exclaimed.
The girl smiled, with a pleading look on her face. Ginny grabbed her arm, Raven flinched. She paused. Her friend looked different. She was two years older than Ginny; about to finish her last year at Hogwarts, but it was something else. She had more color in her pale cheeks and she wouldn't flinch if you grabbed her by the arm. Ginny looked down at her hand and saw large marks that were discolored. She stared at Enid for a moment then, grabbed her hand and led her upstairs.
"Ginny! Where are you taking her!" her mother called.
"She's fine mum!" Ginny yelled back. "We're going to get ready to play Quidditch, I asked her to come by!"
Her mother sounded defeated, "Well, alright then."
The moment Ginny's door shut, Enid burst into tears and found her way to the bed. "What happened?" Ginny asked.
Raven calmed down enough, but was shaking slightly. "I don't know, she just freaked out on me."
"Let me see," Ginny said calmly. Raven pulled up her shirt to show her back. There were several sizes of welts, all of which were bleeding and bruised. "Shit."
The door opened and George came in, full of mud and dripping from water. "Hey, Gin, can I borrow your broomstick wax, I'm all out and I'm getting splinters-"
He stopped and stared opened mouthed at the situation. Enid pulled her shirt down in less than a heartbeat as Ginny ran to the door and shut it. She went through a bag and pushed a small bottle at George's chest. "Out now."
"What happened?" he asked.
"Nothing," Raven answered, avoiding his gaze. "I fell."
George snorted, "Yeah, sure you did. Which explains why each of those cuts on your back are vertical."
Ginny sighed and looked at Raven, "It's none of your business now get out!" Ginny managed to heave him out of the room. She turned back to her friend. "What on earth happened?"
"I don't know. She just freaked out. Something about the room not being clean or something like that," Raven spoke quickly. She took a deep shaky breath and continued, "I think someone important was coming and she wanted everything perfect and well...."
"Oh Raven," Ginny sighed. "You can stay here. My mum will have to let you; I don't care what she says."
Raven smiled weakly. After a few more sobs, Ginny cleaned up her cuts and gave her some clean clothes to wear. They both went out into the field where the boys were fighting over a goal.
"No, that doesn't count! I was on the ground, my broom spaced out!" Ron argued.
"Nah, do you think that the entire game is going to stop just for that Ron?" Charlie said, shaking his head, looking quite pleased with himself.
Ginny and Raven sat on the grass and watched the game continue. Ginny got on the broom and rode around for a bit, playing chaser. She had to admit, she had improved slightly since last year. Mrs. Weasley came bustling outside with a plate of juice and sandwiches.
"Boys! Get down now, you must have something to eat!" Mrs. Weasley called.
"Mum?" Ginny asked casually.
"Yes dear?"
"Er, is it okay if Raven stays here for the rest of the summer?" Ginny asked, slowly.
"Well of course, that is, if she has permission," her mother said, setting out plates of food. Her sons were slowly flying down one by one and taking a plate. "But Mum, the orphanage doesn't allow that sort of thing, and well, they've been treating her pretty lousy lately. She only has this year left!" Ginny complained.
"I'm sorry, but I can't," her mother turned around to face her.
"She can stay with us," George said, motioning his twin brother Fred.
"Yeah, we have room, especially if she can clean," Fred said with a wink.
"Oh, no, I don't want to barge in. I'll just go back," Raven said, solemnly.
"The hell..." George said. Mrs. Weasley looked harshly at her son and cleared her throat loudly, "...heck you will."
Raven looked to Ginny for any suggestion or argument, but she was smiling at her friend. "Yeah, and I can stay too."
"I don't think so. I have no control over Raven, but I do have some over you!" Mrs. Weasley said shrilly.
"Oh mum," Ginny pouted.
"We'll take real good care of her, both of them," Fred said, smiling maliciously.
Mrs. Weasley put her arms to her hips and frowned deeply. She ended up letting Ginny go as well, but not before she followed her around telling her what she could and could not do. Her father just sat in his chair reading the Daily Prophet, telling his wife that Ginny would be fine.
She could hardly believe that her parents were actually allowing this. After all, she was the youngest of the seven kids and she was the only girl. Her entire life, she'd been spoiled slightly but greatly protected and now she was staying the next week at her brothers' apartment.
"It's a mess!" Ginny said, walking in, trying not to step on the various objects that littered the floor.
"Well, we haven't been home for awhile," Fred started to explain.
"So? You couldn't clean before you left?" Ginny said, after realizing that she was sounding an awful lot like her mother.
"We were too busy working on some new merchandise," George said, waving his wand as things disappeared and others were put back into place on shelves.
"Merchandise?" Raven asked, casually glancing around.
"Their joke shop," Ginny muttered.
"Weasley Wizard Wheezes!" Fred explained.
"We make an assortment of things that we think are necessary for surviving every day life. Here try this," George said, handing Raven a small purple and orange colored candy.
Enid examined it closely, "What's it supposed to do?"
"You'll find out. Just eat the purple end first and then the orange," George said, folding his arms to his chest, grinning.
Raven slowly put the candy in her mouth and chewed, as if waiting for some kind of poison to seep in. She raised her eyebrow, confused, when a small dribble of blood escaped from her nose. She put her hand to her nose, looking shocked.
"Now, eat the other," George instructed.
She did and immediately the blood stopped flowing from her nose. She smiled, "That's amazing!"
"We came up with those last year," George said, his cheeks going slightly red.
"The new stuff isn't quite ready yet," Fred said.
Ginny laughed as her brothers showed them some of the new things they've been coming up with. Something they couldn't do with their mother around, she still wasn't too pleased about the shop.
"I know," Fred said, after they had worn out the different inventions and now sat bored. "We'll have a little party."
"Cheer everyone up," George added, giving Raven a small smile.
It ended up being anything but little. The small apartment was packed full of bodies, smoke and music. Raven was in a corner with George and Lee, laughing. Ginny had the slightest idea that she had ended up smoking something because she was smiling for long periods and talking rather loudly. Fred was busy trying to pick up a group of giggly girls with beers in their hand, probably not their first, either. Ginny walked across the room, trying to find someplace quiet. It was fun, sure, but it was getting a bit out of hand for her liking. She like peace and quiet much better than her brothers lifestyle.
She reached the end of the hallway where Fred's room was. They decided that they would share a room and let Raven and Ginny have George's room. Ginny hesitated, unsure of anything that could be going inside the room. When she opened the door, however, it was something that she thought she never witness.
A boy was inside, sitting on the bed. His arm was pulled out and it was bleeding slightly, a razor pressed in his other hand. His hair was platinum blonde and his eyes were a cold blazing blue. He sharply looked over and looked surprised for nearly a second, before he pulled his arm away and looked like nothing had happened.
"What?" he said harshly.
"Uh, are you alright?" Ginny asked.
He looked up at her and she knew instantly that he had no idea who she was. He wasn't looked at her with his usual Weasley hating glare. Ginny gaped at him; this was most unnatural to see a Malfoy staring at a Weasley without a hatred plastered on his face. The most unusual thing about his emotions was that they were unreadable.
"Fine, I don't know what it is that you think you saw, but it wasn't anything," he said.
Ginny raised her eyebrow and smiled, "Right, which is which you have blood smeared on your face." He reached a clean hand to his cheek and tried to wipe it away, but merely smeared it even more. "Here," Ginny said, moving towards him. She wet the edge of her shirt and wiped it away. "Now it's gone." She smiled slightly.
Draco didn't say anything. He was looking at her strangely, unable to comprehend this niceness. He wasn't used to people being this kind and helpful or even caring. Ginny was beginning to feel uncomfortable under his stare, she was afraid that if she looked at him for too long, he might poison her with his nasty attitude. He started to incline his head towards her when she grabbed his hand and pulled out his arm.
"What are you doing?" he said sharply, trying to pull away.
"Cleaning it," Ginny said, pulling her wand out of her pocket. "If you don't clean it, it won't heal." Draco nodded quietly and looked the other way. "So, why would you do this? You seem to lead this perfect life, rich parents that will get you anything you want..."
Ginny looked up at him. He looked at her for a second then, turned his head once again. "What leads you to believe my family is rich?"
"You're a Malfoy," Ginny said simply.
He looked at her, and suddenly he understood who she was. Ginny Weasley was helping him, even after he spent the last six years taunting her family. The bedroom door opened and Raven entered, laughing merrily.
"Hey Gin, I'm just grabbing my..." Raven's voice trailed off. She noticed the other person in the room and her eyes slanted cautiously. "What's he doing here? What are you doing here!?"
"It's none of your damn business," Draco replied.
"I'll make it my business if you hurt my friend," Raven shot back.
"Raven, don't worry about it, alright. Everything is fine," Ginny said with a sigh.
Raven stood her ground for a moment before she grabbed a coat from the closet, "I'm going out for a walk. Are you sure you don't need me for anything?"
"I'm sure," Ginny said.
"Yell for me if you need anyone," Raven said. She turned and opened the door to walk out, but not before she cast a dark look at Draco.
They both watched as the door slammed shut and sat in silence. "So, you knew who I am?" Draco said.
"Of course, I can't forget the face of someone who's made my life a living hell," Ginny replied.
"Yeah, well, I have been a real asshole," Draco said quietly.
Ginny turned her head and stared at him oddly. "You what?"
"I said I've been an asshole," Draco repeated.
Ginny dropped his arm and put her wand back in her pocket. "Well, that's taken care of. I better get back before my brother starts to look around for me." She started to walk towards the door but was stopped.
"Thank you," Draco said.
She turned around and smiled, "No problem."
He stared as the door shut behind her. How had he ended up at a party thrown by the Weasley's and not even know it? Then there was Ginny's behavior, she was acting so nice... Draco grabbed his jacket off the bed and snuck out through the crowd into the damp darkness of the streets.
Ginny Weasley sat on her bed and heaved a heavy sigh. A few days from now and she would be starting school again. It seemed like a life time ago since she had last been at school, since she had last seen her best friend, a life time when things seemed normal. She was staring out the window, watching her brothers Ron, Fred, George and Charlie playing Quidditch. Harry had been staying for a few months now at their house and seemed to be in the same spirits as Ginny, though she didn't blame him. He'd been through so much shit lately, especially with the death of his godfather, Sirius.
Throughout the summer, Ginny had been changing. Not just by her physical looks but mentally as well. By all means, she had changed physically. She wasn't the same shy and cute little sister around the Burrow any longer. She chopped her long hair off one day into a bob style hair cut and lined her eyes with black eyeliner. Her mother had been complaining about the way she looked and acted lately.
There was a small knock on her door and it opened slowly. Bill, one of her older brothers, stepped inside. He smiled at her and shut the door. He walked over to the window where Ginny was looking. He too smiled down at the Quidditch players.
"So, how have you been?" Bill asked. "Mind if I smoke?"
Ginny shook her head. "I don't know."
Bill inhaled the cigarette. "Well, it's actually a simple question; either it's good or bad. Personally, I've been good, but I've got my reasons." He winked, referring to his new girlfriend, Fleur Delacour, a part veela.
"Then I must be shitty," Ginny said, still gazing out the window. "Everything seems so... different."
"Yeah, welcome to life Ginny. It's called maturity, I went through the same thing, everyone does," Bill said. "Just don't let it get you down. You should be finding who you are, not dwelling over the past you."
"Tell that to mum," Ginny muttered. "Is she still on about your hair?"
"Oh yeah," Bill smiled, touching his hair longingly. "And the smoking thing, but there's nothing she can do about it."
Bill put his cigarette out and sighed. "We should go out and play. I was thinking about dragging my old broom out, give a try. What do you say?"
Ginny considered this, "I just might."
"Well," Bill strode over to the door, "I'll see you down there maybe."
He walked out just as Ginny heard her mother fussing. Over who and what was a mystery. She crept to the edge of the stairs quietly. Her mother's voice wasn't hard to hear at all.
"You're a mess! What happened?" her mother screeched.
"Nothing, I just fell, that's all," a voice said. Ginny ran down the stairs and tripped on the hem of her patchwork skirt, nearly tumbling. A girl was standing meekly in front of Mrs. Weasley, although she was clearly taller than the short and plump woman. She had dyed purple hair and two different colored eyes; a pale violet and electric blue.
"Raven!" Ginny exclaimed.
The girl smiled, with a pleading look on her face. Ginny grabbed her arm, Raven flinched. She paused. Her friend looked different. She was two years older than Ginny; about to finish her last year at Hogwarts, but it was something else. She had more color in her pale cheeks and she wouldn't flinch if you grabbed her by the arm. Ginny looked down at her hand and saw large marks that were discolored. She stared at Enid for a moment then, grabbed her hand and led her upstairs.
"Ginny! Where are you taking her!" her mother called.
"She's fine mum!" Ginny yelled back. "We're going to get ready to play Quidditch, I asked her to come by!"
Her mother sounded defeated, "Well, alright then."
The moment Ginny's door shut, Enid burst into tears and found her way to the bed. "What happened?" Ginny asked.
Raven calmed down enough, but was shaking slightly. "I don't know, she just freaked out on me."
"Let me see," Ginny said calmly. Raven pulled up her shirt to show her back. There were several sizes of welts, all of which were bleeding and bruised. "Shit."
The door opened and George came in, full of mud and dripping from water. "Hey, Gin, can I borrow your broomstick wax, I'm all out and I'm getting splinters-"
He stopped and stared opened mouthed at the situation. Enid pulled her shirt down in less than a heartbeat as Ginny ran to the door and shut it. She went through a bag and pushed a small bottle at George's chest. "Out now."
"What happened?" he asked.
"Nothing," Raven answered, avoiding his gaze. "I fell."
George snorted, "Yeah, sure you did. Which explains why each of those cuts on your back are vertical."
Ginny sighed and looked at Raven, "It's none of your business now get out!" Ginny managed to heave him out of the room. She turned back to her friend. "What on earth happened?"
"I don't know. She just freaked out. Something about the room not being clean or something like that," Raven spoke quickly. She took a deep shaky breath and continued, "I think someone important was coming and she wanted everything perfect and well...."
"Oh Raven," Ginny sighed. "You can stay here. My mum will have to let you; I don't care what she says."
Raven smiled weakly. After a few more sobs, Ginny cleaned up her cuts and gave her some clean clothes to wear. They both went out into the field where the boys were fighting over a goal.
"No, that doesn't count! I was on the ground, my broom spaced out!" Ron argued.
"Nah, do you think that the entire game is going to stop just for that Ron?" Charlie said, shaking his head, looking quite pleased with himself.
Ginny and Raven sat on the grass and watched the game continue. Ginny got on the broom and rode around for a bit, playing chaser. She had to admit, she had improved slightly since last year. Mrs. Weasley came bustling outside with a plate of juice and sandwiches.
"Boys! Get down now, you must have something to eat!" Mrs. Weasley called.
"Mum?" Ginny asked casually.
"Yes dear?"
"Er, is it okay if Raven stays here for the rest of the summer?" Ginny asked, slowly.
"Well of course, that is, if she has permission," her mother said, setting out plates of food. Her sons were slowly flying down one by one and taking a plate. "But Mum, the orphanage doesn't allow that sort of thing, and well, they've been treating her pretty lousy lately. She only has this year left!" Ginny complained.
"I'm sorry, but I can't," her mother turned around to face her.
"She can stay with us," George said, motioning his twin brother Fred.
"Yeah, we have room, especially if she can clean," Fred said with a wink.
"Oh, no, I don't want to barge in. I'll just go back," Raven said, solemnly.
"The hell..." George said. Mrs. Weasley looked harshly at her son and cleared her throat loudly, "...heck you will."
Raven looked to Ginny for any suggestion or argument, but she was smiling at her friend. "Yeah, and I can stay too."
"I don't think so. I have no control over Raven, but I do have some over you!" Mrs. Weasley said shrilly.
"Oh mum," Ginny pouted.
"We'll take real good care of her, both of them," Fred said, smiling maliciously.
Mrs. Weasley put her arms to her hips and frowned deeply. She ended up letting Ginny go as well, but not before she followed her around telling her what she could and could not do. Her father just sat in his chair reading the Daily Prophet, telling his wife that Ginny would be fine.
She could hardly believe that her parents were actually allowing this. After all, she was the youngest of the seven kids and she was the only girl. Her entire life, she'd been spoiled slightly but greatly protected and now she was staying the next week at her brothers' apartment.
"It's a mess!" Ginny said, walking in, trying not to step on the various objects that littered the floor.
"Well, we haven't been home for awhile," Fred started to explain.
"So? You couldn't clean before you left?" Ginny said, after realizing that she was sounding an awful lot like her mother.
"We were too busy working on some new merchandise," George said, waving his wand as things disappeared and others were put back into place on shelves.
"Merchandise?" Raven asked, casually glancing around.
"Their joke shop," Ginny muttered.
"Weasley Wizard Wheezes!" Fred explained.
"We make an assortment of things that we think are necessary for surviving every day life. Here try this," George said, handing Raven a small purple and orange colored candy.
Enid examined it closely, "What's it supposed to do?"
"You'll find out. Just eat the purple end first and then the orange," George said, folding his arms to his chest, grinning.
Raven slowly put the candy in her mouth and chewed, as if waiting for some kind of poison to seep in. She raised her eyebrow, confused, when a small dribble of blood escaped from her nose. She put her hand to her nose, looking shocked.
"Now, eat the other," George instructed.
She did and immediately the blood stopped flowing from her nose. She smiled, "That's amazing!"
"We came up with those last year," George said, his cheeks going slightly red.
"The new stuff isn't quite ready yet," Fred said.
Ginny laughed as her brothers showed them some of the new things they've been coming up with. Something they couldn't do with their mother around, she still wasn't too pleased about the shop.
"I know," Fred said, after they had worn out the different inventions and now sat bored. "We'll have a little party."
"Cheer everyone up," George added, giving Raven a small smile.
It ended up being anything but little. The small apartment was packed full of bodies, smoke and music. Raven was in a corner with George and Lee, laughing. Ginny had the slightest idea that she had ended up smoking something because she was smiling for long periods and talking rather loudly. Fred was busy trying to pick up a group of giggly girls with beers in their hand, probably not their first, either. Ginny walked across the room, trying to find someplace quiet. It was fun, sure, but it was getting a bit out of hand for her liking. She like peace and quiet much better than her brothers lifestyle.
She reached the end of the hallway where Fred's room was. They decided that they would share a room and let Raven and Ginny have George's room. Ginny hesitated, unsure of anything that could be going inside the room. When she opened the door, however, it was something that she thought she never witness.
A boy was inside, sitting on the bed. His arm was pulled out and it was bleeding slightly, a razor pressed in his other hand. His hair was platinum blonde and his eyes were a cold blazing blue. He sharply looked over and looked surprised for nearly a second, before he pulled his arm away and looked like nothing had happened.
"What?" he said harshly.
"Uh, are you alright?" Ginny asked.
He looked up at her and she knew instantly that he had no idea who she was. He wasn't looked at her with his usual Weasley hating glare. Ginny gaped at him; this was most unnatural to see a Malfoy staring at a Weasley without a hatred plastered on his face. The most unusual thing about his emotions was that they were unreadable.
"Fine, I don't know what it is that you think you saw, but it wasn't anything," he said.
Ginny raised her eyebrow and smiled, "Right, which is which you have blood smeared on your face." He reached a clean hand to his cheek and tried to wipe it away, but merely smeared it even more. "Here," Ginny said, moving towards him. She wet the edge of her shirt and wiped it away. "Now it's gone." She smiled slightly.
Draco didn't say anything. He was looking at her strangely, unable to comprehend this niceness. He wasn't used to people being this kind and helpful or even caring. Ginny was beginning to feel uncomfortable under his stare, she was afraid that if she looked at him for too long, he might poison her with his nasty attitude. He started to incline his head towards her when she grabbed his hand and pulled out his arm.
"What are you doing?" he said sharply, trying to pull away.
"Cleaning it," Ginny said, pulling her wand out of her pocket. "If you don't clean it, it won't heal." Draco nodded quietly and looked the other way. "So, why would you do this? You seem to lead this perfect life, rich parents that will get you anything you want..."
Ginny looked up at him. He looked at her for a second then, turned his head once again. "What leads you to believe my family is rich?"
"You're a Malfoy," Ginny said simply.
He looked at her, and suddenly he understood who she was. Ginny Weasley was helping him, even after he spent the last six years taunting her family. The bedroom door opened and Raven entered, laughing merrily.
"Hey Gin, I'm just grabbing my..." Raven's voice trailed off. She noticed the other person in the room and her eyes slanted cautiously. "What's he doing here? What are you doing here!?"
"It's none of your damn business," Draco replied.
"I'll make it my business if you hurt my friend," Raven shot back.
"Raven, don't worry about it, alright. Everything is fine," Ginny said with a sigh.
Raven stood her ground for a moment before she grabbed a coat from the closet, "I'm going out for a walk. Are you sure you don't need me for anything?"
"I'm sure," Ginny said.
"Yell for me if you need anyone," Raven said. She turned and opened the door to walk out, but not before she cast a dark look at Draco.
They both watched as the door slammed shut and sat in silence. "So, you knew who I am?" Draco said.
"Of course, I can't forget the face of someone who's made my life a living hell," Ginny replied.
"Yeah, well, I have been a real asshole," Draco said quietly.
Ginny turned her head and stared at him oddly. "You what?"
"I said I've been an asshole," Draco repeated.
Ginny dropped his arm and put her wand back in her pocket. "Well, that's taken care of. I better get back before my brother starts to look around for me." She started to walk towards the door but was stopped.
"Thank you," Draco said.
She turned around and smiled, "No problem."
He stared as the door shut behind her. How had he ended up at a party thrown by the Weasley's and not even know it? Then there was Ginny's behavior, she was acting so nice... Draco grabbed his jacket off the bed and snuck out through the crowd into the damp darkness of the streets.