Wanted
The first month at Hogwarts passed with little incident. Little incident meaning Ginny had no friends and her brothers rarely spoke to her except to use her once name in everything but legal birth certificate status as an insult in passing. Her dorm mates still treated her like garbage, their leader Pansy proving to be a formidable foe. Draco looked at Ginny like she was a piece of meat and he was a dog who really wanted it. And that dark-skinned boy that Daphne sat with in potions was still staring at her all the time. Ginny learned a few weeks in his name was Blaise Zabini, and he rarely spoke, but Daphne had become weirdly protective of him. The only upside to the year so far was that Ginny was excelling in her classes. She was proving to be quite gifted in Defense Against The Dark Arts and was no chump in charms. But being great in classes didn’t do much for you if you were lonely all the time. She’d tried writing home to her father about things, but it’d been a few weeks now and there was still no reply.
The only person who seemed to be showing Ginny any inkling of kindness was Harry Potter. This development was proving difficult, as he had also quickly become Ron’s best friend and was almost always with him. However, sometimes Harry would study with Ginny in the library. Ron had no interest in going to the library, finding them so dull. The effects reading books could have on his young adolescent mind, shudder. Harry, on the contrary, had no such preoccupations. Ginny also often saw the Hermione girl from the train in the library, but her face was always buried so deep in a book that from the untrained eye would see she was trying to become one with them. Ginny never dared interfere with the melding process.
By the end of the first month the library had become Ginny’s safe space in a way. Was it depressing to say 'Books can be my friends at age eleven', absolutely, but holing herself up in books was better than the verbal assaulting received outside of them. Ginny had found it was best to leave her dorm early and go to bed late to avoid Pansy’s wrath. The Slytherin Common Room was no good because that was Malfoy’s kingdom. And the Great Hall was only okay for a quick bite to eat before her brothers’ dark glares from the Gryffindor table proved too much to bear. The only Weasley besides Ginny ever in the library was Percy, but he was always in one specific corner glued to Penelope Clearwater’s side, so he paid Ginny no mind. If he even noticed she was there he said nothing, which had led Ginny to believe he really didn’t notice her, far too absorbed in the girl.
Most of the time Ginny studied alone, but on the occasions Harry came to join her it was a real treat. He was a mild-mannered boy with a quick-witted sense of humor, once you got to know him a bit. After their first talk, he’d rarely talk about his home life unless specifically prompted. From what Ginny had gathered his aunt and uncle didn’t physically abuse him, but they were awfully neglectful. It seemed like his cousin was the child they wanted and Harry was the ghost they begrudgingly let haunt their house because he was technically family. Harry had lived his life like an outsider in his own home, and as much as Ginny’s heart ached for him, a small part of her was happy to finally have someone to relate to. Two lonely children finding each other.
Harry of course was not lonely now that he was at Hogwarts. He was popular as the Boy Who Lived and was well-liked by his fellow Gryffindors. His dorm mates had quickly become his close friends, and he had Ron there for him all the time. Harry gushed about all the things he loved about Hogwarts and all the new things he was learning. Growing up with muggles meant everything about magic was new and exciting to Harry. Ginny tried to be happy for his newfound belonging at Hogwarts, but her heart ached with jealousy and a longing to be like him: wanted.
***
One upside in Ginny’s great quest of loneliness that Hogwarts was proving to be, was that flying lessons were starting soon. Ginny had been playing pickup quidditch in the backyard and listening to quidditch on the radio since she could walk. Ginny was almost more sure of herself in the air than on her feet. Unfortunately, the Slytherins were doing their flying lessons with the Gryffindors, and Ron was still deep in his be a gigantic prick to my twin sister act.
The day came for lessons to start and Ginny was internally buzzing with excitement, but on the outside, she’d learned to adopt the Slytherin scowl so people would leave her alone. Madam Hooch had them line up in two long straight lines with the Gryffindors and Slytherins facing each other. Each student had a beat-up old-school broom on the ground under their right hand.
“Good afternoon class,” Hooch projected and the class chorused back a similar greeting in return. “Welcome to your first flying lesson,” She continued, “Step up to the left side of your broomstick, stick out your right hand over the broomstick, and say up.”
The dozens of students all started saying ‘up’ repeatedly in a variety of tones. Harry’s broom quickly flew into his hand, quickly followed by Ginny and Draco’s brews coming to them at nearly the exact same time. Harry grinned at his broom and Draco looked over at Ginny.
“Nice one Ginger,” Draco said. Ginny just rolled her eyes, but silently she was quite pleased with herself. Hermione and Ron seemed to be growing increasingly agitated with their brooms’ inability to come to their hand.
“Up!” Ron shouted rather angrily, and the handle of his broom flew up and smacked him square in the face.
“Ow!” He reeled back as Harry started laughing at him and Ginny cracked a smile. “Shut up Harry,” Ron muttered darkly.
Hooch began to pace down the aisle, “Now once you’ve gotten a hold of your broom I want you to mount it, and grip it tight. You don’t want to be sliding off the end, now do you?” Hooch looked around scrutinizingly as students mounted their brooms, “On my whistle I want everyone to kick off from the ground, hard. Keep your broom steady, hover for a moment, then lean forward slightly and touch back down. On my whistle, three…two…one,” Hooch blew her whistle and the heavy-set kid Neville was immediately moving high above the ground whimpering with uncertainty about how to stop it.
“Mr. Longbottom…Mr. Longbottom! Come down!” Hooch shouted as his broom shot off towards the side of the castle.
“Down! Down!” Neville shouted fruitlessly. Nevill flew all about the courtyard and surrounding towers in sickening-looking loop-dee-loops until his robes got caught on the spear of a statue and the broom flew off without him. He screamed for help as his robes ripped and he fell to the ground with a sickening crunch.
Madam Hooch ran to Neville’s side and began tutting, “Oh dear that looks like a broken wrist, up you get, I’m taking you to the hospital wing.” Hooch helped Neville up, then turned to the other students with a stern look in her yellow eyes. “Everyone’s to keep their feet firmly on the ground while I take Mr. Longbottom to the hospital wing, understand? If I see a single broom in the air, the one riding it will find themselves out of Hogwarts before they can say ‘quidditch’.”
Madam Hooch strode away with Neville and Ginny noticed that Malfoy was picking something clear and round off the ground.
Malfoy turned to his friends chuckling, “Did you see his face? Maybe if the fat lump had given this a squeeze, he would have remembered to fall on his face arse.” Ginny realized as Malfoy spoke that it was a rememberall that must belong to Neville.
Just then Harry pushed through the crowd towards Malfoy and said, “Give it here, Malfoy.”
Malfoy turned and glared at Harry, “No. I think I’ll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find,” Malfoy threw the rememberall up in the air and caught it right in Harry’s face. He then mounted his broom and dismounted from the ground shouting back, “How ‘bout the roof!”
Malfoy flew up several stories before smirking down at Harry and saying, “What’s the matter, Potter? A bit beyond your reach.”
Hermione began trying to convince Harry to stop as he mounted his own broom. Ginny was already a step ahead of him, mounting her broom and rising off the ground. No one tried to stop her, and she was sick of Malfoy’s shit.
“What an idiot,” Hermione sighed as Harry rose to where Ginny and Malfoy were in the air.
“Awe you and your girlfriend going to tag-team on me, Potter?” Malfoy spat, looking between them.
“Give it here Malfoy or I’ll knock you off your broom!” Harry shouted.
“Is that so?” Malfoy grinned, still tossing the rememberall up and down in his hand.
Ginny sick of the chitchat flew at Malfoy from the side, nearly succeeding in knocking him from his broom. Malfoy dropped the rememberall and made a dive for it. Ginny followed him quickly, managing to block his path and hit the rememberall back in the air with the butt of her broom. In a flash, Harry was flying for it, but it hit a wall and bounced back towards Ginny. She soared back into the air and caught the thing, just as Draco slammed into her and claimed the ball for himself. Ginny went careening in the other direction but managed to stay on her broom.
“You want it Potter, come and get it?” Malfoy teased.
“I’m not playing this sick game with you, Malfoy!” Harry bit back.
“Fine, have it your way,” Malfoy smirked easily as he chucked the rememberall high and far towards a window of one of the high castle towers.
Harry went flying after it, speeding towards the stone wall at an alarming pace.
“Harry look out!” Ginny shouted from where she was now hovering near the ground.
Harry sped and sped on, hand outstretched. Ginny braced herself for the moment of impact, but at the last second there was a flash of white and Harry came to a halt inches from the tower’s window, holding up the rememberall victorously. The students erupted in cheers, and Ginny shared a knowing grin with Harry. That’s when she spotted them. Ginny’s heart about dropped out of her chest when from the sky she saw them approaching them. Quickly approaching across the lawn were Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape. The way their robes swept about made them look like two bats on a mission. Malfoy was already safely back on the ground, so the teachers had zeroed in on Ginny and Harry, who had been caught red-handed still in the air on their brooms.
“Ms. Weasley, Mr. Potter, get down now!” Professor McGonagall shouted.
The two students landed and quickly dismounted. Harry quickly began groveling apologies to Professor McGonagall, who simply said, “Harry Potter, follow me.”
Ginny stood there, realizing she very well might get expelled for her tag team effort to thwart Malfoy. Professor Snape was looking at her like a rather unpleasant mismade potion, and she didn’t bother to grovel. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Ron smirking and whispering something about ‘Ginny being a bad egg’.
“Follow me, Ms. Weasley,” Professor Snape said. He swept away without checking if she was following. Ginny hurried after him into the castle and through several corridors, finally stopping in front of the Charms classroom.
“Why have we—?” Ginny started, but Snape silenced her with a raised hand.
Snape opened the classroom doors and briskly strode up to Flitwick’s desk. Flitwick was mid-demonstration, and when he noticed Snape he nearly toppled over in surprise.
“Oh hello, Severus, apologies you scared me.” Flitwick blubbered, “How can I help you?”
“I need Mr. Flint for a few minutes,” Snape said curtly.
“Of course, of course, Mr. Flint please go with Professor Snape out into the hallway.”
A burly boy with short black hair nodded and followed Snape out of the classroom to where he’d left Ginny. “Was this part of the expulsion process? Did they have the biggest seventh year they could find pulverize you first?” Ginny thought ruefully.
“Marcus, this is Ginevra Weasley, she’s a first year.”
Snape gestured boredly at Ginny.
Marcus looked her up and down curiously, “Clearly. But Professor, why have you brought me a little girl?”
“Ms. Weasley put on quite a display at flying lessons with Potter,” Snape said Harry’s last name with disdain. “While I frown up her disobedience to rules, her navigation of a broom and was quite impressive.”
“Okay?” Marcus looked like a confused monkey as he scratched his head.
“I believe, Ms. Weasley should be your new seeker.”
“But she’s a first-year?!” Marcus exclaimed.
“Professor McGonagall and I have already discussed bending the rules. It was very clear to us that she and, unfortunately, Potter, are both naturals in the air.”
Marcus Flint looked Ginny up and down scrutinizingly, “You really as good as they say?”
Ginny nodded uncertainly.
“I think you’ll find she is quite adequate,” Snape responded.
“Got a broom?” Marcus asked.
Ginny nodded emphatically.
Marcus looked Ginny up and down one more time then stuck out his hand to shake, “Welcome to the team, practices start next week.”
***
“Ron, I need the broom,” Ginny stormed up to Ron at the Gryffindor breakfast table the next day.
Ron looked up in surprise with a mouth full of eggs and bacon, “You didn’t get expelled?” He asked while chewing.
“No, I did not get expelled,” Ginny snapped, “Professor Snape offered me the Seeker spot on the Slytherin Quidditch Team.”
Harry perked up, “McGonagall offered me the Seeker spot on Gryffindor’s team,” He said.
“Oh wow, congratulations Harry,” Ginny smiled at him.
“Same to you,” Harry grinned back.
Ginny rounded back on Ron, “So Ron, given this new development, I NEED the broom.”
Ron gaped between Harry and Ginny, “No way, it’s mine!”
“Come on Ron, you just use it for fun, I NEED it. I already to the captain, Flint, that I have a broom and you need one to be on the team.”
“I haven’t got a broom…” Harry mumbled in concern.
Ron glared at Ginny, “No way! You got the new wand and I got the broom that was the deal!”
“But you got Scabbers too,” Ginny argued.
“Oh please, the rat! Percy was thrilled to finally get rid of that thing.”
“Ron, please, what can I do to change your mind?” Ginny pleaded.
Ron gave her a long look, “Give me your wand.”
“What? No, I need it for school!” Ginny gasped.
“So swap me. You take Charlie’s old wand and I take yours.” Ron explained it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“My wand chose me, it’s meant for me!” Ginny replied angrily.
“I’m your twin, how different can it be? Plus my wand was made for Charlie and it works fine for me.” Ron argued back.
“Well actually I’m not sure if—” Harry started, but Ron shut him up with a jab to the ribs.
“Ron you know you’re being totally unreasonable,” Ginny huffed.
“No, I think you thinking you can just get whatever you want with no consequences is unreasonable,” Ron huffed. “You already joined the enemy, now you want my broom because you ‘NEED IT’” He said sarcastically, “Grow up.”
“So now this is about me being in Slytherin?”
Ron gave Ginny a piercing glare before shouting, “It’s always about that!”
Ginny didn’t even have words to describe how angry Ron was making her. No consequences? Ginny had no friends and her whole family hated her. Yet, one good thing happens, and she won’t even be able to do it because Ron won’t share the damn broom.
Just then the mail began to arrive and a rather large barn owl appeared overhead and dropped and large package in front of hair. The shape was unmistakable a broom.
“No way!” Ron said much more excitedly. “Open it!”
Harry tore back the paper to reveal a Nimbus 2000, “Woah…” he breathed.
“That’s the fastest broom there is!” Ron gushed, “Who sent it?”
Harry looked at the packaging, “It doesn’t say.” They looked up at the teachers' table to see McGonagall smiling back at them knowingly.
“Dammit!” Ginny burst out, storming away. As she passed the Slytherin table she saw Malfoy was looking at her with a curious expression. “What are you looking at!” She bit out at him.
“Nothing, gingersnap.” Malfoy’s face transformed back into his usual smirk, and Ginny stormed out of the hall.