Ginny's Story

Chapter 4 Extendable Eyes

I am so sorry it's been like 9 days since I've uploaded! So much has been happening: my birthday, Dad visiting, 40 hour famine and SCHOOL! This time of year is always busy.

Despite the long wait, I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 4 Extendable Eyes

Everybody ignored my red eyes, although I saw Mum shooting me worried glances and reminders to stay happy for Harry’s birthday. So that’s what I did.

Charlie’s arrival came as a relief and I don’t think just for me. Tension was thick between Harry. Ron, Hermione and me; I think everyone noticed but didn’t dare question it.

I sat next to Charlie as Mum forced him into a seat and announced she was cutting it. Charlie gulped comically, making me laugh. Mum pointed her wand at his long and straggly red hair and it instantly was replaced with a shorter and neater cut.

“Mum!” Charlie exclaimed. He obviously hadn’t been expecting her to actually do it. “I liked my hair!”

Mum frowned. “You will not have your hair that dreadful at your brother’s wedding.” Charlie scowled again and turned to me.

“So Gin,” he began, blocking Mum out, but it turned out unnecessary as she left the room. “How’re your big mean brothers treating you?”

I laughed. “You’re one of my brothers you know!” I reminded him slyly. Charlie shrugged.

“I’m not here enough to count.”

“Well Ron’s being a git, if that counts,” I told him grumpily. I saw out of the window Ron and Harry flying their brooms while Hermione decorated the yard. It was so typical of them, leaving the only girl to do all the hard work.

“Ron is a git,” Charlie said softly. “Just ignore him.” I smiled gratefully.

Out of all my brothers, Charlie was the most supportive. I didn’t remember Bill ever living with us at The Burrow since he was so much older than me. Fred and George always treated me as a fellow prankster, but not really interesting in my wellbeing. Percy seemed ashamed by me - that I didn’t take after him with the rule-abiding gene. Ron was probably the one who was most rash about whom I dated; not that it was any of his business. So out of all my brothers, Charlie was the one who treated me the best in my opinion.

“Come on Ginny, Charlie,” Mum announced loudly, concentrating hard on the snitch cake she was levitating. “Outside, now.”

Charlie and I went outside to where nearly everyone was already seated. We rushed to our seats and I latched onto the first conversation I noted in a hope to escape the urge to watch Harry. Unfortunately, this didn’t work as well as I had hoped and my eyes were constantly scanning Harry. Charlie who noticed this, winked at me.

Hagrid arrived in his ‘best suit’, which was actually a disgusting, hairy, brown thing that wouldn’t look out of place on a caveman. Hagrid’s initial appearance was frightening, but anyone who knew him knew that he was the gentlest man in the world and would always nurse a soft spot for Harry.

Hagrid’s dustbin sized hand patted Harry on the back, making his chair sink a few inches into the ground.

“Seventeen, eh!” Hagrid boomed proudly. “Six years ter the day we met, Harry, d’yeh remember it?”

Harry barked a laugh. “Vaguely,” He responded, happily reminiscing. “Didn’t you smash down the front door, give Dudley a pig’s tail, and tell me I was a wizard?”

I snorted into the pumpkin juice I was drinking. Nobody ever told me that story!

“I forge’ the details,” Hagrid joined in laughing.

Harry’s eyes met mine and a smile lit up his face. I felt hope, but then he hurriedly seemed to let the smile drop off his face and struck up a conversation with Monsieur Delacour.

Mum arrived with the cake Charlie and I had seen her levitating previously. She had obviously not wanted to risk destroying it because of the uneven ground.

Fred and George whistled as the cake landed on the table while Harry seemed delighted by embarrassed at the effort Mum put in to make the cake.

“That looks amazing, Mrs. Weasley,” Harry complimented appreciatively.

Mum smiled fondly and said, “Oh it’s nothing, dear.” I knew Mum was disappointed that harry and I broke up. What mother wouldn’t be? Harry was the perfect gentleman, he was kind and thoughtful and already part of the family. But Mum didn’t dare bring the subject up with me.

Just as Mum was about to slice the cake open, a shimmer of a patronus appeared.

“Minister for Magic coming with me,” Dad’s voice spoke out of the silver weasel.

Tonks and Remus exchanged worried looks and hurried out of the house after apologising to Harry. Charlie told me Scrimgeour had it in for werewolves so it made sense for Remus to leave.

Dad and the Minister – who was limping, his hair a scraggly mess – came to the garden. The Minister looked troubled but that wasn’t rare. Everybody was worried these days.

“Sorry to intrude,” Scrimgeour growled. That was what his voice sounded like, a growl. He reminded me of a lion. “Especially as I can see I am gatecrashing a party.” Scrimgeour’s eyes briefly scanned the snitch cake and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mum flush. “Many happy returns,” Scrimgeour added, nodding to Harry.

“Thanks,” Harry replied coolly.

“I require a private word with you,” Scrimgeour said to Harry.” Also Mr Ron Weasley and Miss Hermione Granger.”

“Us?” Ron interjected, surprised. “Why us?”

“I shall tell you when we’re somewhere more private.”

Harry, Ron and Hermione led Scrimgeour into the sitting room and my curious instinct took over me.

I mumbled something about needing to go to the bathroom and rushed inside; fumbling with some extendable ears I kept in my pockets.

My bedroom door clicked quietly behind me and I held the extendable ears onto the small hole in the skirtings of my wall. It took a while for my buzzing mind to settle down enough for me to actually hear what they were saying. When I finally could concentrate, I was frustrated to hear that the sound was so muffled, I could barely hear.

In my frustration, I threw the extendable ear against my wall, making it thud loudly. I held my breath, hoping no one heard. When I was sure that nobody did, I knelt down and slid through another product Fred and George had been working on but wasn’t complete. I had snuck it from their room, knowing it would come in handy. I didn’t know what they planned to call it, but it seemed of a similar use as the extendable ears, so I called it an extendable eye. It did mainly the same thing, just with eyesight. Basically like a muggle binocular.

The extendable eye seemed to do the trick. I focussed in on Harry, Ron and Hermione sitting on the couch. Ron was admiring a sliver devise, Hermione was lovingly stroking the pages of an old book and Harry was staring intently at the snitch in his hands.

Scrimgeour must have said something controversial, because Ron and Harry stiffened and Hermione’s face flushed angrily, the frown I had become well acquainted with from her arguments with Ron appeared on her face. They seemed to be arguing.

“Ginny?” Two in synch voices said. I rolled over and to my horror, Fred and George stood in my doorway, frowning. I hoped they wouldn’t be too angry about my eavesdropping but that seemed to be the least of their worries.

“What are you doing with our extendable eyes?” they both said, sounding appalled. I burst out laughing. Trust Fred and George to be worried not about their sister listening in on a possibly important meeting, but instead using their things. And to top things off, I had guessed the names right!

But in the back of my mind, there was that small and constant voice nagging me to find out what it was Scrimgeour gave Harry, Ron and Hermione and why.

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