The Colors of a Girl
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and everything related to it belongs to J.K. Rowling.
Chapter Three – Dark Purple
But that had been weeks ago. And she still hadn't called David, she knew she should, she had really liked him, but maybe it was just that she knew they couldn't keep seeing each other. In days she would be leaving for Hogwart's for almost a year.
She wasn't quite sure why she was still using drugs. She had bought a variety of pills, powders and injections from some people on the streets of London and loved to experiment. She knew it was bad and she knew she could quit, but she didn't. They helped her feel less depressed and reminded her of David and the party that night; the first time she had even done drugs or drank.
Ginny had written his number down on a small piece of paper she folded and kept in her purse all the time, just in case she got the courage to go and call him up. But she didn't; she probably wouldn't ever see him again, which made Ginny a bit sad.
"We only have to buy two new books this year for me." Ron announced, looking over the booklist in his hands.
"Good good," Called Molly from the kitchen, "With your father's raise and the money from Fred and George we'll have some left over." Ginny smiled, after Fred and George ran away from home and had opened up a joke shop, they had been rolling in money. Her mother had stayed pretty mad at them and let them stay in the house as long as they paid monthly rent.
"Speaking of which," Fred interrupted, "We haven't bought our little sister a birthday present yet and seeing as her birthday was a few weeks ago, we think that we'll buy you an owl for your birthday."
Ginny grinned; she had always wanted an owl, hating to borrow the school owls or Ron's pesky feather duster, Pig.
"Okay, everybody ready to go?" Molly walked into the dining room, fully changed, purse in hand.
The three boys and Ginny cleared off the table quickly and made their way to the living room, where the fire place stood. Reaching her hand into a pot and pulling out some powder, Ginny quickly threw it in the fire and stepped in, saying loud and clear 'Diagon Alley'.
She was being pulled along and was suddenly spat out of the grate. She stumbled on the ground that had appeared before her feet and stood up quickly, moving out of the way as to not get trampled by her brothers.
When the rest of her family had arrived they moved together in a small pack along the smooth brick streets of Diagon Alley. Ginny looked excitedly through the windows of many different shops and cafes having not have been here for a year.
"Ginny!" She heard a voice call behind her as she was looking thorugh the front window of the Quidditch shop. She turned to find herself looking at Hermione, a now taller, filled out girl with bushy brown hair and straight front teeth.
"Hey Hermione," She answered dully, trying to show her that she wasn't interested in talking right now.
"What have you been up to?" Hermione chattered excitedly, looking over Ginny, "You're so skinny right now, are you even eating? Anorexia is really bad Ginny." Hermione lectured, a frown pasted on her face.
"I'm not anorexic, for god's sake." Ginny announced irritably.
"Well that's good, have you seen Harry yet? I just got here."
"Me too," Said Ginny, "Do you want to go find him?"
"Alright," Hermione said, pointing over towards some of the shops they had to go too. Everywhere they walked Hermione was right beside her, chatting incessantly in her ear. Her head began to pound and she wished she had smoked up before coming, that way Hermione would have been much easier to listen too.
That was one thing that had bothered her about leaving for Hogwart's this year. She had been buying all her weed from dealers on the streets in London but she had no idea where to get some at Hogwart's. She didn't have enough money to buy lots now and smuggle it into the castle in her suitcase. She would bring a bit, enough to last her until she could find somebody who dealt at Hogwart's, although she wasn't even sure if anybody did, she had never heard anything.
They finally stumbled upon Harry in front of Gringott's. He had just put his leftover money back in the bank and was carrying a large bag filled with supplies.
"Hey Harry." Hermione said as they walked towards Fred and George, who were standing in front of Magical Menagerie, both of them holding a little sack filled with coin.
"So Ginny," began George, "We know we said owl, but we thought we'd give you the choice of a different animal too."
"Yes," continued Fred, "They have, uh, toads, tortoises, snails, rabbits, rats, ravens, anything you want. Of course, we could always just go on over to Eeylops Owl Emporium, I heard they just go a few grey owls."
Ginny looked through the window and a cage full of sleek black ravens caught her eye.
"Let's go in here." She announced, opening the heavy wooden door, making the little bell tinkle.
She made her way through rows of cages, boxes and glass holders, finally reaching the cage of birds on the other side of the room. She looked at one raven in particular, a small one, huddled in the black, avoiding the flapping wings and snapping beaks of the others. She pointed at it through the brass bars.
"A raven? Are you sure Ginny?" George asked hesitantly.
"Yes, I'm sure. That one in the back, the small one."
"Alright," said a tall scraggly man from behind Ginny. He opened the cage door and shoved a gloved hand into the cage, letting the small raven jump onto his hadn be pulled out of the cage. It was shut noisily and the man handed Ginny the raven, which perched happily on her tiny wrist.
"That's four Galleons." The man said, grinning, showing very yellow teeth. Fred handed him the golden coins from his bag of money and the man handed Ginny a silver cage, which she placed the raven in. They left the store, Ginny carrying the cage, happily.
Outside they met Hermione and Harry and continued walking through Diagon Alley, stopping at some shops to pick some things up and finally arriving at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor where Molly was busy talking to a large grey haired woman who seemed like a lost long friend.
They sat down at a small round table outside in the bright sunshine. Ginny and Hermione got up to go grabbed their orders and came back carrying six sodas.
Harry, Ron, Fred and George were busy talking about a Quidditch match that had taken place in July, telling Harry all the details as he had been stuck at the Dursley's all summer, not being allowed to leave.
Ginny sipped at her soda quietly, watching groups of people walk by. She was a bit disappointed, she had always thought of Diagon Alley as one of her favorite places, but now she thought differently. Compared to London, this was nothing. Here, groups of witches and wizards walked about, most of them dressed in long robes varying in color. Everybody here talked of wands, and owls and Quidditch. It seemed like some odd dream out of Dr. Seuss, a Muggle-child book Hermione had told her about.
She preferred London; the wet streets, cold night air, orange glowing streetlamps and interesting people. All sorts of people wandered the streets of London. Rich fancy women dressed in Chanel and other designer clothing. Teenagers dressed in all black, wearing black eyeliner and every part of them pierced. Couples walking everywhere, holding hands, hugging, fighting. Prostitutes hanging around on street corners like Ariel, offering their body to rich old men.
The Muggle world was real; the wizard world was happy and cheery, even if Voldemort was still on the loose. She found herself yearning for London again, yearning for the people. She looked up again at the streets and noticed two blonde boys looking through the window of Flourish & Blotts. It looked like him so much, the shorter one, who was pointing to a display. The taller blonde turned away from the window and Ginny caught a glimpse of his face.
His pale, pointed face, smirk planted on it, blonde hair spiked down with gel. She almost laughed, the face seemed comic to her now. The boys walked towards the parlor slowly. Ginny looked down again interested and tried to listen to Hermione talk.
Suddenly Hermione stopped talking and scowled.
"Malfoy." She hissed unpleasantly.
"Hello Granger." Draco laughed easily, "Have you met my cousin here?"
Ginny looked up and she gasped,
"David?"
Songs listened to while writing this chapter:
This Bitter Pill – Dashboard Confessional
All For You – Jonah 33
Still Running – Chevelle
Hypnotized – Pillar
Vertigo – U2