Requisition Chapter 1
Harry Potter Fan Fiction
Chapter Rating: G
Clothing littered nearly every surface in Ginny's bedroom at the burrow. All summer Mrs. Weasley had been on her pack rat of a daughter to clean. Like all teenagers it took more than asking to get her into action. If Ginny didn't go through her room then her mother would and it was fair to say she would have no regard for what Ginny did and did not want to keep. This threat had inspired the current chaos that consumed every inch of space.
"Ugh!" She gave a frustrated sigh, throwing her arms in the air. It appeared every hand-me-down in the history of the Weasley family was about to swallow her whole as she sat in the middle of her floor.
Two options lay open. One, she could actually let her mother go through all this stuff, or, two, she could quickly go through everything and on impulse create a 'Keep' and 'Toss' pile. It didn't take long for her to decide that option two was the better choice. Ginny pushed herself up and cleared enough room to have her two piles. Three hours later she sat back satisfied on her bed and looked over her work. Most of the toss pile consisted of things she was never going to wear again or had long out grown, no loss really.
"Ginny!" She heard her mother's voice yelling her name from the kitchen. "Dinner's ready! Come down."
"Coming Mum!"
With all the work she'd done a meal was just what she needed. Bounding down the steps Ginny wasn't surprised Ron had beat everyone else to the table. For as long as she could remember Ron was never late to a scheduled meal. Or even an unscheduled one. Glancing around the kitchen she had no idea where everyone else was.
"Hey Gin want to play a bit of Quidditch later?" Ron's voice broke into her thoughts.
"Ginny has cleaning to do." Mrs. Weasley chimed in before her daughter could answer and set two plates of food down.
"Oh Mum!" Ginny's voice sounded with protest. "I just finished sorting everything! Can't I wait to put them away after a bit of playing? Please?"
There was a silence filled only with the usual sounds of the Burrow's kitchen.
Finally Mrs. Weasley answered, "I suppose that's fine dear."
Both Ginny and Ron grinned broadly at their mother. Moments later a large BANG came from the house's upper floors.
"Oh those boys!" Molly exclaimed while shaking her spatula at the ceiling. "Fred! George! Get down here for dinner and stop making all that racket. Whatever you're doing I don't like it!"
Ginny suppressed a giggle by taking a bite of her food. Ron on the other hand appeared to focused on his plate to even notice what was going on. Soon two pairs of footsteps came in a rush down the stairwell sounding almost as one. Fred and George appeared and promptly dropped into their seats just as two plates were set in front of them.
"How many times do I need to ask you two to keep it down? It sounds like you're going to bring the house down and I won't have it. What are you two doing up there?" There was a harsh curiousness in Mrs. Weasley's tone.
The twins exchanged looks for a brief moment. "We'll keep it down Mum." Piped Fred. "Yeah, we just like the noise, keeps things interesting." Chimed George in an equally helpful tone.
Ginny could tell her mother wasn't buying it for a minute. Right about now Ginny knew the twins could use an out.
"Mum you never told me what to do with the clothes I can't wear anymore."
The ploy seemed to have worked since her mother's attention was on her once again. Whatever the twins were doing Ginny wanted to see it and that would be impossible if there mother interfered.
"I'll give you some boxes Ginny dear. They'll be in your room when you come in from your game with Ron."
"Thanks Mum. When's Dad going to be home?"
"Soon enough. He owled to say he'd be a bit late."
"Did he say anything about the Cup tickets?" Ron's voice suddenly interrupted.
Ginny had nearly forgotten Ron was at the table still. He hadn't said a word after his plate had been set down.
"You can ask him yourself when he gets home." Molly took a glance at the clock still indicating Arthur was working.
While talk of the up coming Quidditch cup consumed conversation, Ginny finished her meal at a casual pace. She noted Ron took seconds and grinned inwardly, knowing it would make him sluggish. Not a completely fair win on her end but it wasn't like she had made Ron eat his own weight.
Ginny had always been a fan of Quidditch and in this large of a family it was to be expected. Just as she loved the sport she also loved competition. Sometimes she loved it a little to much and it would get the best of her. Most often this happened with Ron. She spent a lot of time with him since he was closest to her age and the older everyone else got the less time they seemed to have for her.
Dinner was soon over and as planned a make shift Quidditch game took place in the field beyond the back garden. It lasted two hours, leaving all parties exhausted. A very sulky Ron put all the equipment away as Ginny headed inside and for a much needed soak in the tub. Her muscles ached but it was the price of victory.
Entering her bedroom Ginny found the boxes her mother had promised. She dressed for bed and unceremoniously put the things she no longer wanted in the boxes, closing them up with a roll of magically sealing tape. No changing her mind about what she wanted now. She then moved all the boxes to one side of her room. On a final shove she slipped and almost completely fell into her closet. As she pulled herself upward again something caught her eye she hadn't noticed while cleaning. A medium sized box lay nearly hidden in the back. Curiosity peaked as she pulled it toward her and into her lap. Tenderly she let her finger run over the top. It was familiar in the way she knew it belonged to her but also foreign because she could not have told a soul what was inside it. Gingerly she slid the aged top off. Whatever lay in this box was precious.
Inside was a slightly fading yellow sun dress that would not have fit her in many many years. The color made her smile as she gently picked it up and held it out to examine. As much as she would love to sit and admire the dress she knew there were other things that were in want of her attention. She found several wizarding photos of her family on a beach. One made her giggle so madly she was glad her door was closed. A screaming Ron was buried all the way up to his neck in sand while a crab tried to nip at his ears. The twins rolled with laughter in the background. Another photo showed her entire family waving from the crest of a dune with a house in the background. The only other objects the box held included a few tiger paw sea shells and a single set of ribbons, the same yellow the dress had been but for some reason had not faded at all. Ginny assumed this was due to being in the bottom of the box and most protected.
All of the trinkets seemed to beg for a memory to be recalled. She knew these things. She had loved these things. Sadly all her memories were just as covered in dust and nothing other than what was in her hands could be recalled. It would have been very unlikely she would have been able to remember what the house looked like without the photo. Wrinkling her nose she dove once again into the small photo pile and pulled out a far less descriptive picture. This only showed waves beating against the shore in a slow rhythm. Ginny sighed, decided to set the photos aside and take a closer look at what was left. The shells still felt sandy in her hand but the ribbons were silky and just as pristine as if they had been bought yesterday.
Thinking for a moment she decided to put everything back into the box for safe keeping, save for the ribbons. They were still a pretty color and come Quidditch season she could use them to tie her hair back. Putting the box back where she found it Ginny closed the closet door with a very large yawn. She made it to her bed in time to place the ribbons in her bedside drawer before collapsing into her covers for a good night's sleep. Her dreams that night were filled with tidal pools, laughter, and a vaguely familiar blond haired boy.