Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
Ginevra
"Why weren't you or Ginny at Breakfast?" I asked, out of breath as I leaned over Adrian. He was sitting at our usual lab table in the front of the potion's classroom with the summer homework assignment sitting in front of him.
Adrian adjusted himself in his chair by twisting his torso towards me. "Good morning to you as well", Adrian said with sarcasm seeping from his pores. "And yes, I did have a good night's sleep. Thank you for asking".
I braced myself by placing my hands flat on the tabletop, locking them at the elbows, and leaning my weight into them. Git. "Well, I didn't sleep very well last night".
"That's unfortunate. Care to tell me the reason?" He damn bloody well knows the reason. It had been a sleepless night. Not due to my recurring nightmares, but just because I couldn't turn off my thoughts. Even sleeping with Fred in his bed hadn't done anything to help me relax. New thoughts kept popping up one after the other. Would Lucius Malfoy hear about Ginny being sorted into Slytherin and think that it is the diary at work? How soon would I be able to speak to Ginny? How soon would I be able to speak to Adrian about Ginny? What would Mum and Dad think? As George had recommended, we had written to our parents last night. It had been a short letter; just detailing the events that had happened at the sorting ceremony, and how scared Ginny had looked. I made sure to include the part when Adrian had stepped up for Ginny. And Fred and George wrote about how the three of us didn't love Ginny any less and that we were writing them because we were worried. We even borrowed Hedwig from Harry to make sure that Mum and Dad would get it as soon as possible. We had asked Percy to use Hermes, but he said he was already out delivering a letter. It was the same answer with Ron when we asked him if we could borrow Pigwidgeon. Who could they possibly be writing to so late at night? But no reply had come with the morning post. Chances were, it got to the burrow after Mum and Dad had gone to bed. Maybe there would be a response in the evening post.
"Adrian", I spoke his name slowly to make it apparent how serious I was being. "What happened last night? How was Ginny?"
To his credit, Adrian dropped the sass. "Last night, I couldn't get her to eat a whole lot. But she stopped crying once I told her the importance of keeping up appearances in Slytherin House". Adrian paused as he gestured to me to take a seat. And based on how Snape was glaring at us from his desk, I figured Adrian was right. So, I squeezed past him and slipped into the seat next to him. Adrian waited until I had set my bookbag on the floor before continuing. "I had her skip the tour the first-years took with the prefects. I showed her how to get to the common room, and I made sure she knew the password". The way he talks makes it sound like they had merely gone on a trip to the market.
Before I can question him further, a person exclaims, "There she is!" A little bit startled I looked over my shoulder. Adrian does the same, but with an air of annoyance. Entering the potions classroom are the rest of the fourth-year Gryffindors with Lee in the lead. "I told you she'd be fine going ahead. She just wanted to talk to her boyfriend". Lee said loudly to Fred and George; almost gushing out the last word in a mocking fashion.
I rolled my eyes before turning back around. Fred and George had worried because of my tossing and turning last night, and how I had picked at my breakfast this morning. They were not concerned about me heading to class ahead of them. That was just Lee's imagination at work. "Five points from Gryffindor", Snape's dark voice echoed throughout the classroom. "For Jordan's obnoxious arrival. Now, sit down". Well, Snape sure is starting the year on a good note. Looking in the direction of his desk, I made the mistake of locking eyes with the potion's master. He was… frowning at me. Whatever for? I mean, I know that I am not a favorite of his. No Gryffindor has ever been a favorite of his. But I am confident that I am also not the worst. I, for one, have never purposely blown up a cauldron.
I listened to my fellow Gryffindors grumble as they started to fill up the Gryffindor side of the room; holding my tongue only long enough for Snape to lose interest in us and look away. As soon as I am no longer being pinned by Snape's coal-black gaze, I turn back to Adrian. "And?"
"And?" He repeated my words back to me. "And what?"
I had always thought if I became prematurely gray it would be Fred and George's fault. Now, I'm starting to rethink that. "Ginny! Was she able to sleep? Was anyone mean to her? Is she going to be safe?"
Adrian had the gall to roll his eyes. Hadn't he gone through this with Sirius in his first life? Sure, it was reserved. Sirius was the oldest instead of the youngest. He had come from a Slytherin family, rather than a Gryffindor one. And we weren't going to exile Ginny as Sirius had been. But surely, Adrian remembered the stress it put on his family. "I don't know how she slept, or if she slept at all seeing as boys aren't allowed in the girls' dorms. And it would make me a creep if I watched an eleven-year-old girl sleep". I huffed at his answer but saw his point. "Though she did stay up late. We both did. That's why we weren't at breakfast. I had her wait with me in the common room until people started to settle down for the night. That way there were fewer listening ears when I talked to her about the dos and don'ts of Slytherin house. No one was mean, as you put it. At least not while I was sitting with her. She was more ignored than anything else". That was both good and sad at the same time. "Since we slept in a bit, I asked a friend to collect my schedule as well as your sisters. She's in Charms right now".
I exhaled through my mouth. That's good. Charms is good. Flitwick keeps his students too busy for anything to end up being too terrible. Then I played back Adrian's answers in my head. "What did you mean about the dos and don'ts of Slytherin?"
Adrian sighed. Again, he turned in my direction. Except for this time, he reaches out and grabs my hands in his. "Holly, just like Gryffindor, Slytherin has its only culture". He stared me down; his eyes searching for something deep within my own. "Do you trust me to take care of her?"
I know only a couple of seconds pass, but with Adrian's intensity, it feels much longer. "Yes," I answered calmly. I've trusted him since that night in the forbidden forest with Quirrell and his parasite...
Adrian's eye muscles softened, and his stern façade slipped into a gentle smile. "Although we are all dreading it, the class has now begun", Snape drawled as he stood up from behind his desk, instantly drawing everyone's attention to him. Knowing that if we lingered, we'd be inviting Snape to comment on our closeness, Adrian removed his hands from mine and we both angled our bodies to face the potions master. "This term we will be studying transfiguring potions and their potentially dastardly side effects". Oh, joy.
Under Adrian's advice, none of us talked to Ginny. Apparently, older siblings hovering over her would be taken as a sign of weakness. We caught glimpses of her at mealtimes. She was always sitting with Adrian, and sometimes the other first-years would join them. Based on what I could get out of Adrian during classes, having an older student take Ginny under his wing made her more appealing to her peers. Things weren't great. But they weren't awful either. Mum and Dad had written us back. And by us, I mean all of the Weasleys in Gryffindor. Evidently, that first night back at Hogwarts, we all had the same idea and had written Mum and Dad. Which was why both Percy's and Ron's owls were gone when we had asked to borrow them. Mum and Dad hadn't said much. Only that it didn't matter and to thank us for keeping them informed. But there had to be more to it than that. Our family wasn't liked by many of the families who have children in Slytherin. And now Ginny was eating and sleeping amongst them.
On Saturday, we finally were going to see Ginny. Adrian had worked it out. And while I knew it wasn't going to occur under the best circumstances, I was looking forward to it. Funny, really. All summer I wanted Ginny to give me space. But now that she was mostly unobtainable, I wanted her close. I've never attended one of my brother's quidditch practices before. In the past, their quidditch practice has always been a time for me to relax and be alone like the introvert I am. However, at about mid-morning, I found myself sitting next to Hermione and Ron on a bench on the pitch as Wood informed the Gryffindor team about this year's training regimen. "Are you sure Ginny is coming?" Ron asked as Hermione read her copy of Travels with Trolls.
"Yes", I assured him, watching as Wood started to animatedly gesture with his broom free hand. "Adrian said that she would be at the pitch at around 10:30".
My answer didn't appease Ron. He scrunched up his nose. It's the same expression he used to wear when Mum was teaching us math when we were still learning at home. "But why would she come to Gryffindor's quidditch practice? How did Pucey even know Gryffindor would be practicing today? Wood only told Harry he had to be here last night".
"I don't know, I answered, shrugging. Though I had an idea. "Adrian just… knows stuff".
Ron fixed me with a look. One that contained a certain air of Percy to it. "Don't you think that it's weird that he just knows stuff?" Ron asked. "Or that Ginny got sorted into Slytherin after you decided to get all cozy with him over the summer? It's suspicious if you ask me".
I threw an arm over Ron's shoulders and pulled him to my side. Ron had shot up over the summer and we were pretty much the same height now. It was getting harder and harder to manhandle my little brother. "It's coincidental", I said as I used my free hand to mess with his hair. Ron let out an indignant squawk at the treatment, half-heartedly flailing his limbs as he tried to get away from me but not hit Hermione in the process. "I don't think there's anything anyone can do to interfere with a sorting", I said, releasing the boy. Who huffed as he tried to straighten his mused hair.
"I think it's nice". Hermione said as she turned a page before looking up at us. "That you're trying to support Ginny and don't care about her being in different houses. Maybe Ginny can show Slytherin that they're not so different from everyone else". Hermione had chosen her words carefully, like a diplomat. I, for one, wouldn't have used the word different. I would have used the word superior.
"It's a nice thought", I complimented the second-year girl, who beamed at me for the praise. She was better than she was last year with needing approval and appreciation, but she still liked to be right. "But I think that goal is a little too ambitious to place on an eleven-year-old". I didn't want to see the challenges Ginny would face if we made her the poster child for ending inter-house rivalries and stereotypes.
"I don't believe it!" I heard Wood complain. The three of us sitting on the bench glanced up and followed Wood's line of sight. Entering the pitch from the opposite end was the Slytherin team carrying broomsticks either in their hands or over their shoulders.
"This can't be good", Ron said as Hermione snapped her book shut as the Slytherin team drew closer. Walking in the back of the team was Adrian when a little redhead trailed behind him. This was the closest I've been to Ginny since arriving at Hogwarts. It felt weird seeing her in a green-trimmed school robe and a green and silver tie.
"Clear out, Flint," Wood said, once the Slytherin team was close enough to be heard. "I booked the field today".
"Easy, Wood", the Slytherin quidditch captain, Marcus Flint said with a smirk. As the two quidditch captains talked, Adrian motioned for Ginny to join us on the bench. Which she did with even measured steps, despite looking like she wanted to run. "I've got a note". Flint continued as he handed Wood a piece of parchment.
"Hey Gin", I whispered; moving to hug her now that she was finally standing in front of me. But Ginny held out a hand before I could do so.
"No public displays of affection" She whispered back. She sounded the same as she always did, but her tone lacked the excitable energy it usually contained. "Adrian said that if the others think I'm uncouth I'll become an outcast".
My heart ached. No hugs? "Like that would be a bad thing", Ron snorted. As we all scrunched together so Ginny could sit too.
"Adrian says that it's not just the Slytherins I need to worry about but the other houses too. They might leave me alone because I'm a Weasley. But if they do target me and no one in Slytherin accepts me, then I won't have anyone to watch my back". Ginny said without looking at any of us.
I bit my lip as Wood read the note Flint had given him aloud. "I, Professor Snape, give the Slytherin team permission to use the pitch in order to train their new seeker". I hadn't even considered the other houses. As a Gryffindor, I was on friendly speaking terms with the students from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw even though I didn't have any friends in those houses. "You have a new seeker. Who?"
I didn't know how to respond to Ginny. The implications hidden in what she shared were greater than anything I had considered. Was it like that for all Slytherins? Were they the hostile ones? Or did they act hostile because that's all they felt from the other houses? Ron, however, in his normal tactless manner, knew just what to say. "If anyone tries, we'll kill them", he said sullenly. He spoke in exaggeration, of course. But he managed to put what I was feeling into words.
The Slytherins standing in front parted ways to reveal the slicked-back blonde hair of Draco Malfoy as he clutched a brand-new broomstick, looking proud.
"Malfoy?" Harry asked more out of disbelief than having an actual question. Having been paying more attention to the quidditch teams' interactions than the conversation Ron, Ginny, and I were having, Hermione stood up and placed her book down where she had been sitting seconds ago. Her action catches Ron's attention. When he sees Malfoy and Harry locked in a stare-off, he rises to his feet too.
"Bloody hell", he grumbles as he and Hermione walk over to Harry's side. Ginny and I stay seated. Me, because I have a clue about what is about to happen. And I imagine Ginny didn't move because she now had ties to both sides.
"Ginny, I want you to know", I started to say as The Slytherin team started to show off their new broomsticks. "That none of us think of you any different for being in Slytherin. We still love you".
"I know," Ginny replied; blushing. It was a relief to see her making a facial expression, but what I wanted to see was a smile. But it might be too soon for that. "Mum and Dad wrote to me the day after the sorting ceremony. They said everything would be fine and you guys would help me if I needed it. And it isn't too bad. The other girls in my dorm think it's cool that an older boy on the quidditch team is mentoring me".
"Are those Nimbus 2001s?" Ron asked loudly.
"They aren't mean", Ginny continued as we kept our eyes on the pitch. "We aren't friends either. But I think we can respect each other if I follow the rules". She said all of this calmly, but it had me thinking. If she follows the rules? That's not… That's not how respect works.
"They're a gift from Draco's father", Flint said, confirming that the brooms were indeed Nimbus 2001s.
"Holly", Ginny started. She keeps her eyes on where all the action was. "What does uncouth mean?"
I blinked. She had repeated Adrian's advice and was trying to act on it without even comprehending it. "It means-" I started to explain, but then we both got distracted as things heated up on the pitch.
"You see Weasley", Malfoy sneered at Ron. "Unlike you, my father can afford the best". I was kind of curious how this was going to play out. After all, Ron's wand wasn't broken. Would I get to see Malfoy vomit slugs? It was a thrilling thought. But a part of me didn't want that to happen. Not if it complicated things for Ginny. "Don't think we're on the same level now that your sisters might be redeemable. You're going to end up a poor blood traitor just like your father". Ginny and I both flinched, as I reached up to place a hand on Ginny's shoulder. Though I suspect we flinched for different reasons.
As Ron adopts a furious expression, and Fred and George cast glances in mine and Ginny's direction, Hermione steps forward; lifting some of the pressure of the confrontation off Ron. "At least no one on the Gryffindor team had their parents buy their spot. They got in on pure talent", Hermione said, calling to light what was not being said.
Malfoy had no problem turning his ire to the bushy-haired Gryffindor. "No one was talking to you, filthy little mudblood."
Everyone on the Gryffindor side jolted as if they had been physically struck. Except for Harry, who probably doesn't know what mudblood means. While all the Slytherins, except for Adrian and Ginny, smirked and sniggered as Hermione bristled at the derogatory term. Adrian was looking steadfast at the tree stationed behind the Gryffindor team. I knew why. Adrian may no longer see the need to discriminate against different blood types, but he still remembered all the feelings he had about muggleborns when he was Regulus. Some of those feelings probably still existed. Ginny balled her hands into fists and stared down at her shoes. She, like the rest of us Weasleys, had been taught that to call someone mudblood was vile and unacceptable. But now she was living in a culture where it was normal and just about expected. If she spoke out against the verbal abuse, she'd face backlash.
Not to worry though. There are many other hot-heads in our family willing to leap into action. "You'll pay, Malfoy!" Ron declared as he freed his wand from his robe pocket. No one had time to react as Ron raised his wand, pointing it at Malfoy. "Eat slugs", he said as greenish-yellow color shoots out of the wand's tip and pummels into Malfoy's gut.
Malfoy gets knocked off his feet as he flies backward a couple of inches. He would have gone much further if it wasn't for the members of the Slytherin team standing behind him. He landed right into them, and only their stubbornness kept him upright. He groaned at the impact before quickly shutting his mouth as his cheeks puffed out. A second later, his stomach heaved as if needing to barf. Another second later, a slimy yellow slug slips out of his mouth. It slides down the front of his robes for a few centimeters before landing on the freshly cut grass of the quidditch pitch.
"Ugh" The Gryffindors all chimed in together in cheerful disgust. Some were even giving Ron a pat on the back. It wasn't long before Malfoy puked up another slug. This one was grey. Somewhere in the background, a camera flash went off. That was the only thing that told me Collin was here.
"I guess you won't be training your seeker today", Wood said smugly to Flint.
The Slytherin quidditch captain snarled; his whole upper lip curling back to reveal his crooked teeth. "Take him to the hospital wing", Flint snapped at his two beaters before turning back to Wood. "There'll be consequences for this, Wood". With the beaters already hauling Malfoy away, Flint turned with the rest of the Slytherin team following after him. Despite being on the losing side for this encounter, they held their heads up high. Adrian brought up the rear as he looked in Ginny's and my direction. He gave me his best apologetic face but called out in a stern voice that didn't match his expression. "Ginevra, we're leaving".
Ginevra? Ginny slumped her shoulders as she stood up, making my hand fall off her shoulder. "See you later", she said before hurriedly walking after Adrian. But… Why is she going by Ginevra? Ginny hates her full name.