+*+*+*+
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. It all belongs to J.K. Rowling. I made up some things and people but that's it… I get no money from this so don't sue me!
Rated: R – for things that I can't list because they aren't in this chapter besides some language… sorry but deal with it…
Author's Notes: Please, please, please review me!
+*+*+*+
Nothing Is What It Seems
Chapter One: Goodbye London, Hello New York!
The bright orange sun's heat was beating down onto the freshly cut green grass and clear blue lake of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. There were absolutely no signs of life, however. All of the students were crammed into their dormitories or common rooms packing up all of their last minute belongings and getting prepared to set off for their homes for the summer holidays. Most of the students of Hogwarts were not exceptionally thrilled about having to return home for the summer; they wanted to stay at the vast, old, castle with their friends and other classmates.
Gryffindor Tower was occupied with people running around trying to find things they might've lost and making sure they said goodbye to all their friends. However, sitting alone in a large chair near the open window was a petite redheaded girl. She looked younger than she actually was but she was still a very beautiful girl.
Virginia Weasley was one of the few students who were looking forward to going home for the summer holidays. She didn't have very many close friends. She had a handful of people she talked to sometimes like Luna Lovegood and Colin Creevey, but no best friends she could share everything with. However, she was going to spend the entire summer in America, New York City to be exact, with her Aunt Hilary, Uncle Jeremy, and their children so she knew she was going to finally have a fantastic summer.
Jeremy Weasley was Arthur Weasley's younger brother. He had met and married a Muggle, Hilary West, when visiting a small Wizarding town in Maine. They settled down in New York City after getting married without informing the rest of the Weasley family. Fortunately, when Jeremy told her of his Wizarding background, she understood completely and didn't become frightened or try divorce him. They now had four children, all of which were magical, with one on the way.
The petite redhead was staring out the window at the ripples of clear blue lake. She wasn't staring at the lake for any particular reason – she was just thinking. She wanted to start her fifth year at Hogwarts off right. Spending the summer to become an all new Virginia Angeline Weasley. She was no longer going to be the quiet and shy Dream Team follower, but she going to become her own person – the person she had always wanted to be.
"Ginny, hurry up!" She heard her older brother, Ron, yell from across the crowded common room. She sighed sadly and got up from the oversized chair. As she walked toward him she folded her arms over her chest. "What do you want, Ron?" she asked, softly. "Oh, good. You came. Are you finished packing yet? We need to get going!" he said, loudly. Ron had to be one of the loudest Weasley's because not even her other older brother's could get as loud as he could. "I've been finished with my packing since yesterday evening. I'm all ready to go," she said, softly, looking down at her feet.
Ginny spent the next hour sitting in that same red oversized chair, waiting for the clock to strike 10 am. When it finally did she got up from her chair, grabbed her trunk and put it in the pile near the door and walked out of Gryffindor Tower on her way to Hogsmeade to get on the Hogwart's Express that would take her to King's Cross Station where she'd meet up with her parents and her uncle.
She was so caught up in her thoughts by the time she actually got onto the Hogwart's Express she wasn't watching where she was headed and sat down in a compartment occupied by Draco Malfoy, Blaise Zabini, and Pansy Parkinson. The three Slytherins were sitting near the window while the little Gryffindor sat near the entrance. When the little Gryffindor sat down the three Slytherins began watching her. They were all confused but none of them spoke up just yet. When they realized she didn't know they were there as well Draco decided it was time for her to know.
"Hello," he said, casually, with a smirk on his pale face. Ginny looked up slowly from her shoes that she had been staring intently at. She looked over each of the Slytherins carefully. "Sorry. I didn't know anyone else was in here," she said as she got up to leave the compartment. "Why don't you stay?" asked Pansy. Draco and Blaise looked at her as if she was crazy to let a Gryffindor sit with them but Pansy had always secretly wanted another girl to talk to. Ginny looked at Pansy and then reluctantly sat back down. She was too frightened to do anything that may make the Slytherins upset.
Pansy stood up and moved to sit closer to the redhead. "So, I'm Pansy. And you are?" she asked, smirking. Ginny coughed but tried to cover it up, "Ginny." She closed her eyes and bit down on her lip, hoping they wouldn't realize she was a Weasley. "Well, Ginny. That's Draco and that's Blaise," said Pansy, cheerfully, pointing to each of the boys. Draco smirked and Blaise nodded; both of the boys were the most gorgeous guys in Hogwarts – no one would be surprised if even the other guys in school wanted one of them. "So, Ginny. What are you doing this summer?" asked Pansy, curiously.
Ginny looked over to Pansy shyly. "Oh, I'm going to spend the summer in New York," she answered. Pansy looked confused, "Is New York in America?" Ginny nodded slowly and Blaise snorted. "Why the bloody hell wouldn't it be in America? It isn't fucking in any other bloody country now, is it?" said Draco, coldly glaring at the blonde girl. Ginny was shocked. She had never heard someone use such language since her father and Percy got into that huge argument a few years before. She looked cautiously over at Draco who was now staring out the window.
"Um - maybe I should - er - go," said Ginny, scared of another outburst by the Slytherin Prince. She quickly got up to go but this time Pansy didn't try to make her stay. "Goodbye Ginny," said Pansy as Ginny left the compartment.
Ginny opened the door to another compartment closer to the back of the train and luckily it was empty. She took the seat near the window and looked out at the cloudless, light, blue sky. "I wonder if the sky in America is just like ours," she thought. About twenty minutes before the Hogwart's Express was scheduled to stop in Kings Cross Station, Ginny changed into her Muggle clothes. They weren't very attractive clothes – an old, long, gray skirt and an old white button up shirt. Her bright auburn hair was thrown up untidily once she was finished dressing.
She continued to gaze out the window into the clear blue sky until she heard a bang on the compartment door. "Ginny? Are you in there?" asked Hermione. Ginny groaned, stood up slowly, and opened the compartment door. Hermione, Harry, and Ron walked in and sat down next to each other across from Ginny. "Hey guys," said Ginny, smiling. "Hey," said Ron. "Hey Gin," said Harry and Hermione at the same time.
The remainder of the train ride was entirely uneventful. Harry and Ron played a few games of Wizard's Chess. Hermione and Ginny were pretty quiet throughout the whole journey. Hermione read though, as usual, the entire time Harry and Ron were playing chess and Ginny mainly stared out the window into the beautiful sapphire sky.
Finally, at 6 pm, the Hogwart's Express came to a halt in King's Cross Station. Ginny followed the Dream Team off the huge, magnificent, train. They hadn't spoken to her since they had first entered her compartment and they still weren't now. Ginny sighed and followed them anyway. Ginny was always the follower of the Dream Team. "Not next year," she told herself, smiling. "Next year is going to be MY year. I'm finally going to be the real Virginia Angeline Weasley that the world hasn't seen yet. They wont know what hit them."
Ginny looked down the sidewalk toward the barrier of platform 9 and three-quarters. Her mother, father, and uncle were not there but she noticed the Infamous Dream Team disappear through the secret barrier. "Everyone must be on the other side," she thought, as she walked through. She looked up and down the sidewalks but still nothing. She was getting nervous. Ron and Harry weren't nervous at all, however. They were standing near a stack of magazines, talking and looking at the black and white, non-moving, pictures.
Suddenly, Ginny saw three redheaded adults walking in the direction of her. She began to smile excitedly as she started to walk toward them. "Mummy! Daddy! Uncle Jeremy!" she yelled as she walked to them. "Hullo dear," said Mrs. Weasley, happily as she scooped her only daughter up for an enormous hug. "Hello Red!" said Uncle Jeremy, excitedly. "All ready to go to America?" he asked. Ginny quickly nodded while smiling cheerfully. "Well, lets get going then, Red," he said, seizing some of her luggage from the trolley.
Virginia looked out the window of her uncle's black rental car. They were on a packed freeway on their way to the Muggle airport. Ginny was extremely frightened; she had never been in an airplane before – she had just learned what an airplane was! All of a sudden, the rental car stopped in front of a large building with tons of huge glass windows that made the building look as if it was covered in a thick layer of ice. Jeremy exited the rental car and Ginny imitated him; he walked over to the door and grabbed a trolley for their bags. Once all the bags were all loaded onto the trolley, Jeremy and Ginny strolled into the Muggle airport.
The airport was full of Muggles coming and going from loads of doors from all directions and being greeted or seen off by friends and family. Ginny watched the Muggles with a close interest – her father was fascinated by Muggles and some of his obsession had worn off on Ginny. She took all of the airport in – the lights, chairs, floors, and everything else. She had a huge smile on her face until she spotted a large white airplane. Her smile quickly faded and was replaced by a very nervous look.
"Uncle Jeremy – er – are we getting on one of those?" asked Ginny, obviously rather frightened, pointing at a large white airplane. "Of course, Red," said Jeremy, winking at the scared little redhead. "How can Muggles stand to travel on those things?" Ginny asked herself. "Ginny, say goodbye to London," said Jeremy as he walked onto the pathway to the airplane. "Goodbye," whispered Ginny as she followed her uncle through the dark pathway.
"Well, Gin. Welcome to New York City," said Uncle Jeremy as they got out of his red Mercedes. "Hello, New York," whispered Ginny as she got out of the car. Aunt Hilary got out of the front passenger seat and put a reassuring arm around Virginia, squeezing her shoulder a little. "You'll love it here, Virginia," said Hilary, trying to make Ginny feel better about being away from her parents for three full months. Out of Ginny's whole family, the only person that called her by her real name, Virginia, was her Aunt Hilary. Secretly, Ginny loved the name Virginia loads more than plain old Ginny. It made her feel important and a whole different person then when she was called Ginny.
Virginia Angeline Weasley, who was on her way to becoming an entirely new person, followed her aunt and uncle up the steps to their three story home in New York City. Jeremy opened the door and allowed Ginny to walk in first. Their living room was exquisite. Their flooring was done in a dark cherry wood that matched all the other wood furniture in the house and all of their chairs and couches were a gorgeous black leather. It was certainly the kind of house you definitely wouldn't expect a Weasley family to own.
"GIN!" yelled a four year old, redheaded, small girl who was running toward Virginia. Ginny picked the young girl up into a big hug, "Hello, Maddy!" Maddy was still in Ginny's arms as Hilary and Jeremy brought the remains of Ginny's bags into the living room. "Madison, can you please go get Natalia and the boys?" asked Hilary. Maddy jumped out of Ginny's arms and ran off down the hallway toward her brother's bedrooms. "Virginia, dear, can you manage getting your bags into the guestroom? I need to go start dinner; you remember where the guestroom is, right?" asked Hilary, as she walked out of the room. "Yes, Aunt Hilary," answered Ginny, picking up one of her bags and following Maddy down the hallway.
Once Ginny finished unpacking all of her things in her bedroom, Maddy ran in followed by a teenage girl that Ginny had never met or even seen before. She was tall with long, layered, dark reddish brown hair with black tips, and gorgeous grayish sea blue eyes; she looked utterly exotic. Ginny had never seen anyone that looked like her before at Hogwarts or even in London; she was dressed in super low-cut light denim jeans, a black tank top with a pink and white star in the middle of the front, and black beach sandals.
"Hi!" said the teenage girl. Ginny looked at the girl in front of her curiously, "Hello." Maddy looked absolutely ecstatic, "Gin! This is Natalia! She's our babysitter." Natalia smirked at Ginny, a smirk that was praiseworthy of a Malfoy. "Maddy, where's everyone else?" asked Ginny. Maddy, who was having a exceptionally hard time standing still, kept looking between Natalia and Ginny until she heard Ginny's voice. "I think they're still playing in Landon's bedroom," Madison answered. "Would you go get them, please?" asked Ginny. Madison nodded and quickly ran out of the room.
"So, is this your first time in New York?" asked Natalia, curiously, looking Ginny's tattered old clothes up and down slowly. Ginny was looking Natalia up and down slowly as well. "Yes," she answered, still staring at Natalia's clothes. "Oh, really? Well, the Muggle's can get pretty annoying but maybe me and my friends can show you around sometime?" she asked, calmly but secretly hoping Ginny would agree. Ginny looked somewhat shocked when Natalia had pretty much told her that she was a witch also but managed to nod in agreement. "Fantastic! We'll come by tomorrow around twelve," said Natalia, calmly yet again but with a hint of excitement.
Ginny laid down on the bed that was in the middle of the guest bedroom; she had just finished eating her first meal of the summer. She was overly stuffed and utterly exhausted. The entire room was done in black and white; Ginny thought it was amazing. The bed sheets were done in white while the wood bedposts were black. The carpet was a lovely gray and there were two fuzzy rugs laying on opposite sides of the large bedroom, one rug was white and the other was black. The rest of the wood furniture in the room was done in black, accurately matched to the bedposts.
The tiny redhead shut her chocolate-brown eyes for sleep but suddenly her thoughts were full of images of The-Boy-Who-Lived, Harry Potter. Ginny groaned in annoyance and opened her drowsy eyes. "Get out of my head, Harry!" she said through clenched teeth. It had been quite obvious that Virginia had had a massive crush on Harry Potter, her brother's best friend, since her very first year at Hogwarts but now that she was entering her fifth year, Harry was an obsession of her past that she was not allowing to continue. "I need someone else to like," she whispered into the darkness.
Wow! Finally finished! I hope you all like it! Please review because it helps me get the next chapters up tons faster! While you wait for the next chapter why don't you go read my other story (The Twisted Secrets Of Forbidden Love). I think it's really good… maybe you will as well.
I'm making Natalia as if I was writing about myself. I wanted to put myself into a story for a while now and I finally have but trust me… she isn't the main character of this story. This is Ginny's story. It will eventually be DM/GW but don't expect it to be right away.
Go review now! If you review me… I'll review you! So, do it! Go on…