That night, there was the mother of all rows in the Weasley household.
Tempers frayed and things were said which probably shouldn't have been.
There were two stages. The first occurred as soon as Ginny's feet touched
the floor after flooing back from Diagon Alley.
"Virginia Weasley, how dare you eat with a complete stranger without telling your father or me first? He might have been a Death Eater! And we had guests. How would it look to them if a member of this family can't even wait a little while for their lunch?"
Any attempts by Ginny to get a word in edgewise were ignored and things went on in the same vein for nearly an hour. About then, Mrs. Weasley screamed "Young lady, you will go to your room and stay there for the rest of the day!"
So Ginny went up to her room. Or tried to, because who should she meet on the stairs, but the 'Dream Team', as Draco Malfoy so scathingly referred to them. Ginny was tired and had a headache so she tried to push past them but Ron and Harry stopped her.
"Not so fast, Gin." Said Ron
So they frogmarched her down to the sitting room, sat her down again and went through the same old ritual. First they explained that they were just "looking out for her" and that "it was all for her own good" and other such sanctimonious phrases. About five minutes into this, Buffy and Willow arrived and began to talk to her as well. They spoke in the same patronising way. About five minutes later, Ginny exploded.
"You three disgust me. You are one year older then me and you act as though that gives you the right to treat me as a complete idiot who isn't fit to do anything without constant supervision. Oh yes, I forgot. You're Harry Potter and his two stooges. We should all bow before you because you have some stupid scar on your head! Then we have our American guests." Ginny hissed. "They think that they can come into this house and ruin the lives of its occupants! Who think that they can do whatever they like because they 'saved the world a lot'. What a match made in heaven! The Boy-who- Lived and the Girl-who-Died! Why don't the pair of you just go to HELL?" Ginny's voice rose to a shriek and she stormed out of the room, up the stairs and into her room, slamming the door with a bang that echoed through the silent house. She left the group quiet in her wake, Buffy and Willow looking shocked that she knew about what had happened to Buffy at the end of her first year at Sunnydale High; Ron, Harry, and Hermione shocked because she spoke to them in such an openly disrespectful manner.
In the privacy of her room, Ginny took out the scroll and looked at it, debating whether to go to Malfoy Manor then or not. She decided not to because it was only a few more days before school started and things couldn't get any worse between now and then. Could they?
The next day was hellish. First she was made to wait for three entire hours so that everyone else could use the bathroom before her. Then, at breakfast, she was given toast that looked like it had been reduced to cinders. After lunch she was sent out of the house and forced to stand outside in the cold until after three o'clock. When she was allowed back inside, she went straight to her room, only to discover. that it was not her room anymore. She found her father redecorating the room while Buffy Summers sat on the bed -her bed- and unpacked her own clothes to put in what used to have been Ginny's wardrobe. Suddenly Mr. Weasley noticed her.
"Ginny. Please take your stuff up to the attic so that Buffy can move hers in."
"Dad, what are you doing?"
"We decided that Buffy needed your room more than you do so she can have it whenever she stays. We are going to put you up in the attic."
"Why can't she have the twins' room?" Ginny wanted to know. "No one else is using it."
Mr. Weasley had the grace to look shame-faced. "Well Ginny. You know that Harry's aunt and uncle were arrested for treating him badly at the start of the holidays?" She nodded, confused. Of course she knew. It had been why he had come to stay so early this year and he had been so happy about it to start with. "Well your mother and I decided that we would, um, adopt him. And the papers just came through."
Ginny was stunned as surely as if someone had hit her with a Stunning spell. This could not be happening. She stumbled up to the attic, collapsed on the old camp bed there and burst into tears. At length she stopped crying and stood up, her face a cold mask. She went to the boxes of her things and got out the scroll and her best robe. After putting them on, she cleaned her face and brushed her hair.
Sneaking downstairs, Ginny went to the fireplace and made sure that the fire was suitable for using Floo powder. She opened the pot and took a handful, not noticing that Harry had just entered the room behind her.
"Ginny, stop!" he cried. She glanced back then threw the powder into the flames shouting "Malfoy Manor!"
Before Harry could stop her, she jumped into the green flames. He dashed to the fireplace and repeated her actions.
For a few seconds, the room was silent. Then Harry Potter flew back out of the fire, and slammed into the opposite wall, slid to the bottom and coughed, loudly.
Meanwhile, Ginny Weasley dropped out of a fireplace in an exceedingly well decorated room and stopped at the feet of an exceedingly interested Lucius Malfoy.
"Virginia Weasley, how dare you eat with a complete stranger without telling your father or me first? He might have been a Death Eater! And we had guests. How would it look to them if a member of this family can't even wait a little while for their lunch?"
Any attempts by Ginny to get a word in edgewise were ignored and things went on in the same vein for nearly an hour. About then, Mrs. Weasley screamed "Young lady, you will go to your room and stay there for the rest of the day!"
So Ginny went up to her room. Or tried to, because who should she meet on the stairs, but the 'Dream Team', as Draco Malfoy so scathingly referred to them. Ginny was tired and had a headache so she tried to push past them but Ron and Harry stopped her.
"Not so fast, Gin." Said Ron
So they frogmarched her down to the sitting room, sat her down again and went through the same old ritual. First they explained that they were just "looking out for her" and that "it was all for her own good" and other such sanctimonious phrases. About five minutes into this, Buffy and Willow arrived and began to talk to her as well. They spoke in the same patronising way. About five minutes later, Ginny exploded.
"You three disgust me. You are one year older then me and you act as though that gives you the right to treat me as a complete idiot who isn't fit to do anything without constant supervision. Oh yes, I forgot. You're Harry Potter and his two stooges. We should all bow before you because you have some stupid scar on your head! Then we have our American guests." Ginny hissed. "They think that they can come into this house and ruin the lives of its occupants! Who think that they can do whatever they like because they 'saved the world a lot'. What a match made in heaven! The Boy-who- Lived and the Girl-who-Died! Why don't the pair of you just go to HELL?" Ginny's voice rose to a shriek and she stormed out of the room, up the stairs and into her room, slamming the door with a bang that echoed through the silent house. She left the group quiet in her wake, Buffy and Willow looking shocked that she knew about what had happened to Buffy at the end of her first year at Sunnydale High; Ron, Harry, and Hermione shocked because she spoke to them in such an openly disrespectful manner.
In the privacy of her room, Ginny took out the scroll and looked at it, debating whether to go to Malfoy Manor then or not. She decided not to because it was only a few more days before school started and things couldn't get any worse between now and then. Could they?
The next day was hellish. First she was made to wait for three entire hours so that everyone else could use the bathroom before her. Then, at breakfast, she was given toast that looked like it had been reduced to cinders. After lunch she was sent out of the house and forced to stand outside in the cold until after three o'clock. When she was allowed back inside, she went straight to her room, only to discover. that it was not her room anymore. She found her father redecorating the room while Buffy Summers sat on the bed -her bed- and unpacked her own clothes to put in what used to have been Ginny's wardrobe. Suddenly Mr. Weasley noticed her.
"Ginny. Please take your stuff up to the attic so that Buffy can move hers in."
"Dad, what are you doing?"
"We decided that Buffy needed your room more than you do so she can have it whenever she stays. We are going to put you up in the attic."
"Why can't she have the twins' room?" Ginny wanted to know. "No one else is using it."
Mr. Weasley had the grace to look shame-faced. "Well Ginny. You know that Harry's aunt and uncle were arrested for treating him badly at the start of the holidays?" She nodded, confused. Of course she knew. It had been why he had come to stay so early this year and he had been so happy about it to start with. "Well your mother and I decided that we would, um, adopt him. And the papers just came through."
Ginny was stunned as surely as if someone had hit her with a Stunning spell. This could not be happening. She stumbled up to the attic, collapsed on the old camp bed there and burst into tears. At length she stopped crying and stood up, her face a cold mask. She went to the boxes of her things and got out the scroll and her best robe. After putting them on, she cleaned her face and brushed her hair.
Sneaking downstairs, Ginny went to the fireplace and made sure that the fire was suitable for using Floo powder. She opened the pot and took a handful, not noticing that Harry had just entered the room behind her.
"Ginny, stop!" he cried. She glanced back then threw the powder into the flames shouting "Malfoy Manor!"
Before Harry could stop her, she jumped into the green flames. He dashed to the fireplace and repeated her actions.
For a few seconds, the room was silent. Then Harry Potter flew back out of the fire, and slammed into the opposite wall, slid to the bottom and coughed, loudly.
Meanwhile, Ginny Weasley dropped out of a fireplace in an exceedingly well decorated room and stopped at the feet of an exceedingly interested Lucius Malfoy.