M-Malfoy was the second apprentice?
I simply stared as Malfoy sat down. He let his eyes roam the compartment and when they fell on mine, he lingered a bit. I looked away to Professor Dumbledore.
"Now that we are all complete, I shall introduce everyone to each other..." Dumbledore continued to introduce everyone. When he came to Malfoy and me, everyone in the compartment stiffened. I know why...and what they are all thinking. They think I look very much like Ginny Weasley, but their mind will not permit them to think I am her. I am dead...they think.
"And now I would like to introduce Mr. Malfoy, who will be an apprentice to become potions master, but we have another..." Everyone turned to look at me and I felt really uncomfortable.
"This will be quite a shock...about a week ago, I've found out that Miss Weasley has not died along with the rest of her family" Everyone gasped...and I frowned.
Why did Dumbledore say that like he still believes every Weasley is dead? Does nobody know that they aren't? Silently I cursed myself for not reading the wizarding paper anymore. I didn't dare touch a paper anymore since I had read about the attack of Voldemort on my family.
I looked up. Dumbledore was looking at me intensely. I remained silent and did not correct the fact that he said it like the Weasleys were dead. I knew that Malfoy had made that mistake. He said: 'Read in the papers that your family died three months ago' but I didn't care if he was right or not.
I tuned out Dumbledore's voice and started thinking about the things that I did not want to think about and haven't thought about for a week. Why wasn't I transported to the Grimmauld Place? Why hadn't I received an Aztec Amulet?
Willing myself to not think about this at the moment, I tried to concentrate on Dumbledore.
"...and so, once we arrive, a houself will take the new people to your living quarters. There you can create your own password (the portraits knows their owners) and once you've settled in, please join the feast in the Great Hall"
Everyone murmured their acknowledgements and so did I. Dumbledore went to leave the compartment and I stood up.
"Could I talk to you Headmaster?" I asked, my eyes boring into his.
"Come now Miss Weasley, you can call me Albus and of course we can talk"
We stepped out of the compartment and walked over to an empty one. We entered it. As soon as the door closed, I started interrogating him.
"What did you mean by: 'has not died along with the rest of her family'? It sounds to me like nobody knows that my fam-...I mean the Weasleys are alive.." I trailed off...my voice betraying my bitterness against them. I could not help, but to feel resentment against the people who don't remember me.
"As you surely know, I have tried to contact you multiple times within the week before September 1st and you seemed to have been avoiding me"
I hung my head down in shame. It was true. I had received owls from Dumbledore, but the letters lay on my table...unopened. I wasn't ready to speak again with him.
"When your family arrived at Grimmauld Place, the Order had a meeting. It seemed that Voldemort came to torture and kill all of the Weasley members, Harry potter and Hermione Granger. We discussed everything. Voldemort seems to think that everyone is dead and so we had everyone of them go into hiding"
I grew angry. "Why! Why is that necessary? Voldemort has never focused himself on my family in particular! Sure, he hates the Weasleys, but he will only go after the people that are a threat to him. The Weasleys are known, but don't have that much influence in the wizarding world! It is only Harry that he might go after, but we all knew that before the attack and we didn't go into hiding then!...He won't go after them specifically again" I stated firmly as a closure of my rant.
Dumbledore was surprised by her outburst.
"The Weasleys are a symbol to the wizarding world, they are the family that is opposed to Voldemort for generations and everyone knows that. The Order thinks that Voldemort will want to kill the Weasleys to strike fear in the Wizarding world and therefore they are in hiding!"
"The order...the order.." I said nastily. "Who came up with that theory huh? Voldemort doesn't work like that! He goes after people who threaten his position or people who can give him something he wants. He is more smarter then to go after the most protected family in the world, because of their 'symbol status' and protecting the boy-who-lived, when the only reason is to strike fear!" I sneered.
Dumbledore raised his eyebrow. "And...how is it that you know this Miss Weasley? How do you know what Voldemort will or will not do?"
Shit I thought. I had let my emotions control me again.
"uh...I-I don't know…well...and why didn't I go into hiding when you found out I was alive!" I changed thee subject quickly. Dumbledore raised to the bait.
"I asked you where you've been and you told me the story. You talked about young Miss Elizabeth Weasley. A Weasley suddenly turning up alive that nobody ever heard off and on top of dead had no mother or father? People will be suspicious and so will Voldemort. And also...I see how you talk about her. Your love and willingness to protect her goes far and I knew you wouldn't go into hiding if it meant to leave her with somebody else"
I had appeared to have calmed down...outwardly. From the inside I was still seething.
That short-sighted, conceited, little, overgrown, beardy troll!
- 'you know he WAS right about you not leaving Lizz for anything' an annoying voice in the back of my mind said.
- yeah…well...he's WRONG about the rest!
- ...'true'
"Well.." Dumbledore said. "I will go to the trolley that always goes around the train and get some lemon drops...I always have wondered why she never comes by the teachers compartments..." He muttered as he left.
And I was left alone. The rest of the ride was without incidents, but with worrying on my part. Was Lizz okay? Stop Gin! Lizz'll be fine!
As Hogwarts came into view, I sighed and blinked back tears. This was the first time that I had been back since...
Anyways, we all got out of the train and got into different carriages then the students did. I tried to catch a glimpse of Lizz, but failed. I got in a carriage and saw that Malfoy was there already.
"Great!" I groaned.
"Yeah...well I'm not too happy about it either Weaslette! So shut your trap" He snapped, obviously offended.
"No need to go all defensive on me Ferret!" (that name NEVER gets old)
"I'm not defensive!" he muttered.
"Spoken like a true five-year-old" I snickered. He glared at me and the rest of the trip was in silence.
When we arrived at the castle, we both got out hurriedly. Houselves were standing there, ready to take us to our living quarters. As I walked through the corridors, I looked around. All of the teachers were talking to each other in hushed voices. I glanced at Malfoy and saw that he was talking to Snape. He glanced at me at precisely the same time and we both averted our heads.
Some teachers turned a different corridor, because they lived another way. In the end, it was only me and Malfoy following our houselves.
The houself (which introduced herself at the beginning as Tammy) tripped and fell to the ground.
"Oh!" I cried as I saw.
"Pathetic" Maloy drawled. The houself stood up quickly.
"So Sorry Misses and Mister...so sorry! Tammy will not do again...oh!" It almost threw a hissy fit.
"Don't worry about it" I said soothingly.
As it turns out, my living quarters is at the end of the corridor and (guess what) it's directly across of Malfoy's. The elves left quickly after telling us that the first word directed to our portrait was our password and could only be changed by us.
Malfoy and I glared at each other before turning to our portraits.
"fiducia" ((trust)) I told my portrait. (It was a beautiful one of a lake, with trees and bushed all around and a mermaid)
I entered my new home and inspected it. I was standing in a furnished living room. It had a small kitchen, a bathroom and a pretty big bedroom. All in all...not bad.
I plopped on my couch, wishing that I could be back at the Burrow.
Well Ginny...this is your new life...deal with it!
Okay...so no reviews for two chapters had kinda crushed my wittle heart. Plzz review and tell me if you want this fic to be Ginny x Harry or Ginny x Draco...I'm still deciding...