The day before the Hogwarts open day, Ginny had left the twins with her mother and headed for a day of pampering. It hadn't taken her long to find an exclusive spa, which also had a beauty parlour where she'd had her nails done. She'd even managed a quick trip to the hairdressers to keep on top of her encroaching grey hairs. Now her hair was as red as it had ever been, and even if she said so herself she didn't look like a witch in her early forties. She could easily pass for ten years younger.
Since Molly had informed her the open day was rather informal, Ginny was careful not to overdress when she got ready for the big day. However, she still took immense care in her appearance and she spent over an hour finding the perfect outfit. Eventually she settled on a pair of tight white trousers, which accentuated her pert backside, and a strappy sapphire blue top which was just cut low enough to offer a tantalising peek at her cleavage. She completed the look with some blue strappy sandals, a lightweight white jacket and a small blue handbag.
Once she was finished, she admired her reflection in the mirror, deciding she had judged her outfit perfectly. While she looked effortlessly casual, she still looked attractive and thanks to her pampering the previous day she was glowing. One thing was for sure, Harry wouldn't be able to resist noticing what he had given up when he'd listened to Hermione's bad advice all those years ago.
Confident that she would achieve her main goal of the day, drawing Harry's attention, Ginny checked the twins were ready. Thankfully her children were eager to see the legendary Hogwarts for the first time, so they were all ready and eager to be going. However, there was a slight delay as neither Molly nor Arthur were quite ready when Ginny and the twins headed downstairs, but they were soon sorted and together they headed off to Hogsmeade, where they would then walk up to Hogwarts to give the twins the full effect of seeing Hogwarts for the first time.
As they headed up to Hogwarts it was clear that plenty of other people had arrived the same way as the pathway up to the castle was as busy as it usually was on a typical Hogsmeade weekend. While the twins chattered on with Molly and Arthur, Ginny kept an eye out for anyone she might know. She particularly kept her eyes open for any of her brothers, most of whom seemed to be attending the open day according to Molly. While word had spread around the family that she was back home, she'd yet to see any of her siblings as they had all apparently been too busy with their own lives to come and see her and her children.
Once the castle came into view the twins excitement kicked up another notch and their pace picked up as their hurried to get closer to the school they would hopefully be attending in September. The closer they got to Hogwarts, the more activity Ginny saw and as they headed up the final bit of pathway, leading into the main grounds of the castle, she could see numerous tables and tents dotted around the castle. She even caught a glimpse of the quidditch stadium, and it looked like there were people flying inside it.
"Oh look, there's Minerva," Molly cried, waving her hand in the direction of the Headmistress.
Ginny instantly recognised McGonagall, and as they approached the older witch, she was shocked by how little she had changed in the last twenty five years. Even though she must surely be heading up towards one hundred, she still seemed the same as she had when Ginny had been at Hogwarts.
"Molly, Arthur, how lovely to see you both," McGonagall greeted with a smile. "And Ginny," she added, arching her eyebrow in surprise at seeing he youngest Weasley at her parents side. "You look very well, my dear."
"I am," Ginny replied with a warm smile. "And you look just the same, Professor."
"What flattery," McGonagall chuckled.
"Professor McGonagall, these are my children Ethan and Amelia," Ginny said, gesturing to the two eleven year olds, who were gazing around in wonder at the magnificent display Hogwarts was putting on for the world. "Kids, this is Professor McGonagall. She's Headmistress of Hogwarts, and when I was at school, she was Head of Gryffindor."
"That pleasure now rests with someone else," McGonagall said, as she greeted the two youngsters. "You two look about school age, have you started Ilvermorny yet?"
"Actually, we're coming back home so we're hoping they can come to Hogwarts," Ginny put in quickly.
"We actually wanted to talk to you about it today," Molly added.
"Would September be their first year?" McGonagall enquired.
"Yes," Ginny answered with a nod.
"Well then, if you're living in the country an invite to join the school should be forthcoming," McGonagall replied. "But just in case, I'll keep an eye on the list when I get it in a few weeks' time."
"Thank you," Ginny said, surprised by how easy it seemed to be to get her children into Hogwarts.
"In the meantime, why don't you explore and get to know the place a bit better," McGonagall said, directing her words to the twins. "Most of the Professors are around, each doing something to demonstrate the sort of things you will be learning in the coming years. There's flying over in the quidditch stadium, The Great Hall and some of the ground floor is open to the public, and there's plenty of stalls where you can get some food and drink. Oh, and later this afternoon we have the annual quidditch match between some of the seventh years and some Professors."
"I'm not sure where we would begin with all that," Arthur chuckled as they said their goodbyes to McGonagall and carried on towards the castle.
As they passed The Black Lake, they stopped to watch Professor Flitwick, who was launching paper boats into the water with some youngsters, and then using magic to make them skim across the water. However, the boats didn't get very far before the giant squid swept them over with one of his tentacles, causing everyone to laugh.
"Can we have a go?" Ethan asked.
"Come on down, the more the merrier," Professor Flitwick called.
Not wanting to get drenched, which given the way the squid was playing with the boats was a distinct possibility, Ginny remained a short way from The Black Lake as Molly and Arthur took the twins over to explore. Keeping one eye on the twins, Ginny glanced around still on the lookout for someone she knew. However, her attention was caught by a teenager who was the spitting image of Draco Malfoy.
The boy must have been seventeen or eighteen, but there was no mistaking the fact he was a Malfoy. Not only was he a tall blond, but he was also incredibly good looking. As she watched him lounging against one of the nearby trees, he was approached by a pretty witch with long jet black hair who looked to be around the same age. Watching the pair chatting and laughing together, Ginny almost felt as though she'd gone back in time as the young witch could easily have been Pansy Parkinson. Idly she wondered if they were siblings and if Malfoy had married Parkinson as they'd certainly been close in school.
However, her musings about the two teenagers were quickly forgotten when the twins returned from their jaunt down to The Black Lake, eager to see what else was on offer. Carrying on their journey towards the castle, they picked up some fresh pumpkin pasties to nibble on. However, Ginny nearly choked on hers once they reached the castle itself, where most of the action seemed to be centred, when she spotted a devastatingly handsome Draco Malfoy standing beside a green and silver tent, which was packed with tables full of cauldrons. Smaller cauldrons were sitting on a table in front of the tent, and Malfoy was helping young children stir them before pouring some liquid into a glass for them to drink. Once the youngsters drank their potion, their hair changed into a variety of vibrant colours.
"Wicked," Amelia gasped, looking in the same direction as her mother. "Can we try that, Mum?"
"Is that Draco Malfoy?" Ginny whispered to her parents, momentarily ignoring her daughter.
"He's the Potions Professor," Molly replied.
"And a damn good one at that," Arthur added.
"Seriously?" Ginny scoffed. "They let him teach innocent children?"
"Things have changed, Ginny," Arthur said with a shrug. "People have moved on, and more importantly people have changed. People like Draco."
"I never thought I would see the day when you defended a Malfoy," Ginny snorted.
"I can't say I'm overly fond of Lucius Malfoy, but his son is a different story," Arthur returned with a shrug. "I like him, and as I said, he's a good Professor."
"I'm not sure I like the idea of him teaching my children," Ginny muttered.
"If you want them to come to Hogwarts, you won't have a choice in the matter," Molly pointed out. "At least let the twins go and have some fun with the potions he's got on display."
"You take them, but I'm staying here," Ginny said, deciding it was best to watch Malfoy from a distance.
As her parents took the twins over to the Potions tent, Ginny watched with interest as Malfoy greeted them both like old friends. He even appeared to greet the children nicely and neither of the twins seemed intimidated by the tall blond wizard as he helped them brew their potions. In fact, he seemed to be able to make both of her children laugh and everyone around the tent looked to be having a good time. Maybe she had misjudged Malfoy, and time had changed him for the better.
Deciding that her children were perfectly safe with her parents and the Potions Professor, Ginny gave them a wave before wandering a bit further down the path. She'd only been walking for a few minutes when she spotted a couple of training dummies, the kind Dumbledore's Army had used, set up nearby. As she watched, Harry appeared from behind the screen the dummies were set up in front of and placed wands in the dummies hands.
Ginny was so distracted by the sight of Harry, who was looking as handsome as ever, that she almost didn't notice the couple of children who were at the display. She only noticed them when Harry handed them both wands and said something to them. Moments later they were waving their wands in the air, and after a few attempts the wands the dummies had been holding flew towards them. When they caught them they whooped in joy, and Harry gave them both an encouraging grin. They then bit into the wands, and Ginny realised they must be chocolate wands and they were a reward for disarming the dummies.
Just as she was about to approach her former boyfriend, she heard her children calling her name and turned around to see a blue haired Ethan and a green haired Amelia heading their way.
"Wow, look at you two," she chuckled.
"Potions is so fun," Ethan enthused. "Do you know the classroom is down in the dungeons? I bet that is so cool. I think Professor Malfoy will be so much fun."
"Only if you behave," Arthur chuckled. "He's not a Professor to be messed with. Just ask your cousin, Little Fred. He's always in detention with him."
"George thinks that's deliberate because little Fred idolises Draco," Molly chuckled.
Ginny frowned slightly at the thought of her nephew idolising a Malfoy, but it was quickly forgotten as she saw yet another shocking sight. At a table near to where Harry was working with another group of youngsters, stood Hermione, who was helping some children pick colourful feathers out of a basket. She was then helping them turn the feathers into small stuffed toys. It didn't take a genius to work out that the display meant that Hermione was a Professor, likely the Transfiguration Professor judging by her work. What really caught Ginny's attention was Hermione's enlarged stomach. Unless she was very much mistaken, Hermione Granger was heavily pregnant.
Seeing Hermione as a Professor actually made sense to Ginny, especially if she'd also encouraged Harry to join her at Hogwarts. But she was struggling with the idea that she was pregnant. Ginny herself was in her early forties, and because of the way their birthdays fell, Hermione was almost two years older than her, meaning she had to be nearing forty five. Granted, forty five wasn't old, especially not in the wizarding world, but Ginny still considered it to be a bit on the late side to be having children. She certainly wouldn't dream of having any more children now, and she was younger than Hermione.
"Is everything okay?" Molly asked, interrupting Ginny's thoughts.
"You didn't mention she was a Professor," Ginny muttered, jerking her head in Hermione's direction.
"Is it a problem?" Molly asked with a frown. "I thought we had already decided that everyone is mature enough to leave the past behind."
"Of course it's not a problem," Ginny lied, deliberately turning away from where Hermione was standing.
To be honest, she could just ignore Hermione's presence as she doubted they had anything to say to one another. However, if she dared to interfere in her attempts to get Harry back then it would be another story. If that happened, then Ginny was not going to fight fair. This time she would take down Hermione, and make her regret the day she ever dared to cross her.