Ginger Malfoy

Old Flames and Floo Powder

"Wake up, lazy!" Ginger heard someone whisper into her ear. She opened her eyes. Ginny's eyes stared back at her.

"Hello, mum!" Ginger said, in a voice surprisingly chipper for one having just been woken up.

"So," Ginny said, pulling Ginger into a close hug. "How's school been?"

"Decent," Ginger replied in a voice that was no longer so chipper. "It would be nice if the other Slytherins didn't tease me about Weasley sweaters, MUM."

Ginny frowned at her daughter's sarcastic comment, but didn't reply to it. Ginny didn't think her daughter understood the seriousness of what had happened. Ginger was so young. Did she realize what could have happened? Did she understand that when Ginny was eleven, she was innocent and- well, she had petrified a bunch of Muggle-borns- but that was beside the point. Did Ginger truly realize what it meant to be young, what a privilege it was to be safe at Hogwarts? Probably not. Instead of explaining, Ginny pulled her face into a smile and said, "Come down for breakfast, dear. Then we're going to go shopping. Well, you and Rose are anyways. The rest of us bought our presents ages ago."

Ginger decided to stop being mad at her mum because she supposed it was all her own fault anyway, so she nodded agreeably and got up to pull on some clothes. Ginny left the room and gently closed the door.

A few minutes later, Ginger was dressed in a t-shirt and tight jeans and began to decend the spiralling staircase down to the table. George, her grandparents, Ron, Hermione, Rose, Ginny and Draco looked up at her and many of them bid her good morning. Draco dashed up from his spot in between Ginny and Arthur and drew Ginger into a huge hug. He kissed her forehead and walked back with her to the table. Ginger took her chair in between George and Rose.

Breakfast was delicious but Ginger couldn't help thinking that the food at Hogwarts was pretty great too. She thanked her grandmother for making it and then dashed upstairs with Rose to get ready to go to Diagon Alley. They gathered their money and put it into little purses that were enchanted to hold every last coin.

Ginger and Rose came down the stairs and saw the rest of the family assembled near the front door, obviously waiting on them.

George looked at them through his narrowed eyes and asked, "Did you know that I'm on limited time here? So much to do, and tomorrow's Christmas! I don't have time to wait for you two!"

Ginger attempted to look guilty, but then turned to Rose and they both burst out laughing, with George quick to follow them. What George said wasn't that funny, but the three laughed a while. Looking at each other's faces triggered laughter, even as they took turns using the Floo to arrive at Diagon Alley.

When the whole Weasley clan (and Draco and Hermione) made it through to the Alley, they split up to do their shopping. George went with Ginger and Rose (because Ginny didn't trust them alone) and the rest of the adults went off to run errands around the shops.

George pointed out the spot where he and Fred's shop had once been. He told them that he tried to continue with the shop after the war with Ron, but Ron couldn't help much with his wife and new child to worry about. George said that he didn't have the heart to do it alone, and so he sold the shop. "I don't really mind," he said in a tone that sounded like he did mind. "It's just not the same without Fred. It was more his dream than mine, really."

The girls nodded solemnly, and George led them into a shop to distract from the melancholy mood he had set. They turned the corner, around a display of books, and Ginger found herself almost running into a tall, beautiful woman with dark skin and black, glossy hair. She was wearing a gold and red striped dress that looked a bit cold to be wearing in December and had a black coat folded over her arm. The woman's brown eyes opened wide in surprise, not just at the shock of almost being run down, but also at the man before her.

"George? George Weasley?" The woman asked, her innocent eyes peering at him.

"Yes, that's me," George replied before realizing who the woman was. "Good lord, Angelina. I haven't seen you in ages."

She smiled at him and said, "Yes, it's a shame we haven't kept in touch." She finally noticed the two girls standing to either side of George. "Who are these two?" she asked, obviously worried that the girls were his daughters and that a wife may be popping out from a corner at any moment.

"Oh," George laughed. "These are my nieces, Rose Weasley and Ginger Malfoy."

Angelina's eyebrows rose at the name of Malfoy, but she didn't comment. Instead she said, "So I suppose you're doing some last-minute Christmas shopping, then?"

George nodded and replied, "Christmas. A little too much work in my opinion." He chuckled and said, "But alas, these nieces of mine, making me drag them everywhere on this earth so they can get presents for all their friends and all their family members." George said each word slowly and dramatically, as if he were in a production of Hamlet.

Angelina giggled and said, "Well I, for one, have nothing to do for Christmas, and brooding around a fire with a mug of hot chocolate doesn't really require a shopping list."

"What are you here for, then?" George asked, confused.

"Why, to meet attractive red-headed wizards from my past, of course," she replied, using the same dramatic air George had been using a moment ago.

"Well, Miss Johnson," George winked. "Today's your lucky day. For here is your very own Yule ball date's twin brother, in the flesh, who currently has no girl to bring home for Christmas."

Angelina took the bait and giggled again. "What are you saying?"

George dusted off his coat, bowed, and said, "Angelina Johnson, do you want to come to the Burrow for Christmas?"

Angelina simply nodded and said, "All right, then."

George laughed as if she had said something really funny. Ginger scowled. She hated it when she didn't understand things. She glanced at Rose, who didn't share her expression. Ginger pushed her face into a smile. She didn't want Angelina to think she didn't like her.

Angelina took George's arm and the two of them strode out of the store, the girls trailing behind the flirting pair.

When it got to be the afternoon, and Ginger and Rose had wore themselves out, George agreed to take them home. He turned to Angelina and said, "So tomorrow night, then? I'll pick you up?"

Angelina nodded and proceeded to write her address on a bit of scrap paper from her purse. They bid each other good-bye and parted. Ginger thought it was about time. This kind of stuff made her sick.

Ginger paled as she thought about it. Now along with Ron and Hermione and her parents, there would be yet another couple fawning over each other around the fire. Ginger thought about this and how much it sickened her until she realized she was sitting on her bed at the Burrow. She must learn to stop zoning out like that.

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A/N: Yay! Next is Christmas! (: oh i absolutely adore Christmas...

Anyways, I hope you liked the chapter! Comment! Vote if you liked it!