The next morning, the girls awoke to the constant splattering of rain on the windows as the wind whistled through the house. The damp and gloomy atmosphere seemed to affect everyone's moods. As she got dressed in a sweatshirt and jeans, Ginny heard her mother call them down.

"Better go quick, she gets angry these days faster because she's so annoyed with the Ministry" she mentioned to Hermione, as the girls began brushing their hair in front of the mirror.

They got down to see the boys huddled around the table, eating toast and porridge, discussing about a certain paranoid wizard who was obsessed with dark magic.

As they loaded their heavily filled trunks into taxis, their mother was giving them all goodbyes.

"Fred-No, George, oh whichever twin- don't get into any trouble, you hear me?"

"Yes, mum" the twins chorused. "We definately won't do anything related to the Weasleys Wizard Wheezes, don't you worry" and then they winked at each other.

"Ron-take care of Pig-" she began. Ron had had quite the mishaps with pets last year.

"Pigwidgeon, you mean-" Ginny cut in, earning a scowl from Ron.

"Yes, and study well" their mother hugged him tight.

"Ginny, dear," she said, rounding on to her youngest (and most favorite) child. "Write to us, won't you? Keep out of trouble, study well-"

She realised her mother was going to go into rant mode.

"Mum, I will." She assured her, and her mother pulled her into a hug.

"Harry, Hermione- You keep out of trouble too-"

"I do keep out of trouble, Mrs. Weasley, you know me...I like a quiet life...." Harry said, grinning, and Ginny couldn't help but chuckle. She never knew a wizard who got into so much trouble without meaning to.

"Oh, Harry-" and her mother pulled him into a hug too.

"Hermione, do keep an eye on Ginny for me, and make sure the boys study." She told Hermione, who smiled and allowed their mother to hug her too.

Bill and Charlie offered to drop them to Kings Cross, Percy apologised for not being able to since Mr. Crouch relied on him so much, and George joked about it again.

And she ran headfirst into the barrier between platforms nine and ten, the Hogwarts Express stood in all its glory, students pouring in and out of it. Everyone was saying their goodbyes-

“I might be seeing you all sooner than you think,” said Charlie, grinning, as he hugged Ginny good-bye.

“Why?” said Fred keenly.

“You’ll see,” said Charlie. “Just don’t tell Percy I mentioned it . . . it’s ‘classified information, until such time as the Ministry sees fit to release it,’ after all.”

“Yeah, I sort of wish I were back at Hogwarts this year,” said Bill, hands in his pockets, looking almost wistfully at the train.

“Why?” said George impatiently.

“You’re going to have an interesting year,” said Bill, his eyes twinkling. “I might even get time off to come and watch a bit of it. . . .”

“A bit of what?” said Ron.

But at that moment, the whistle blew, and their mother ushered them into the train. The pistons hissed loudly and the train began to move.

“Tell us what’s happening at Hogwarts!” Fred bellowed out of the window as they moved father away from the station. "What rules are they changing?"

Ginny shook her head and went with Neville, looking for a compartment. At least they came across one and she recognised the person inside it at once.

"Hi, Colin!" She said cheerfully to the boy already seated with who looked like a miniature version of himself.

"Hi, Ginny, Neville! Come on inside!" He beckoned them in and they took their places.

"Guess who this is?" He pointed at the smaller boy.

"No idea" Neville said.

"My brother Dennis!" He practically squealed. "He's starting this year!"

"How nice" Ginny smiled, extending her hand to the little boy, who had every sense of excitement as his older brother did. It was infectious, and soon they were all discussing the World Cup.

When the train reached its destination, they got into separate carriages which were enchanted to lead them into the castle. The weather, thanks to the rain, was rather cold, and Ginny pulled on her cloak as they made their way up the stone steps into the castle.

Peeves was floating above a few fifth year girls, and as they shrieked and screamed insults at him, he dropped large water balloons right onto their heads. She covered her own head with her hands and walked ahead. Proffessor McGonagall had started reprimanding him as she skidded into a pool of water he'd left.

They filed into the Great Hall, each student taking his or her place on the table of their respective house. She sat between Neville and Parvati, who was chattering excitedly.

The sorting began. The Gryffindors cheered as students got sent their way. Soon it was time for Dennis Creevey and Colin was literally jumping up and down in his seat.

“Creevey, Dennis!”

Tiny Dennis Creevey staggered forward, tripping over Hagrid’s moleskin, just as Hagrid himself sidled into the Hall through a door behind the teachers’ table. The rip at the brim of the hat opened wide. "GRYFFINDOR!"

Colin roared as his tiny form of a brother sidled up to the table and seated himself beside him.

“Colin, I fell in!” he said shrilly, throwing himself into an empty seat. “It was brilliant! And something in the water grabbed me and pushed me back in the boat!”

Ginny raised her eyebrows as Parvati shook with silent laughter.

“Cool!” said Colin, just as excitedly. “It was probably the giant squid, Dennis!”

“Wow!” said Dennis, as though nobody in their wildest dreams could hope for more than being thrown into a storm-tossed, fathoms-deep lake, and pushed out of it again by a giant sea monster.

“Dennis! Dennis! See that boy down there? The one with the black hair and glasses? See him? Know who he is, Dennis?”

"Oh my god! It's Harry Potter!! Oh my god, Colin, Harry Potter!!!" The little boy shrieked wildly, as Colin nodded his head so vigorously it looked like it might come off.

Ginny's mind wandered away from the Great Hall and the Sorting Ceremony to the first time she'd actually met Harry but not known who he was until it clicked to her. She hadn't reacted like Dennis, of course, but she knew the childish thrill of seeing a celebrity.

*Flashback*

"Harry Potter!" She squealed. "Oh, mum. Please can I go see him?"

"No, dear. The poor thing isn't something you ogle at the zoo. No wonder he was so well mannered." Her mother told her. "Poor boy..."

***

"Are you going to Hogwarts too?" Harry asked her.

Her mind went absolutely blank. Harry Potter had spoken to her!
She dropped her porridge bowl with a clatter. And on another such instance, accidentally dipped her elbow in the butter bowl. And not to forget tripping over thin air when he came up the stairs! Oh, for the love of the lord! What was wrong with her!

*Present Day*

"I have one last thing to say..." Dumbledore was speaking. "Tuck in!"

She heard Ron heave a great big sigh and him and Harry yelled "Hear, hear" and along with a few others, she permitted herself to laugh at that, while Hermione muttered something along the lines of "Boys" very audibly.

Treacle tart, Roast chicken, and chocolate gateau were among the many goodies laden on the table? As usual, Ron was eating as if this was the first time he was going to get any food for the rest of the year, Fred and George were discussing about the top secret thing Percy kept mentioning, when Neville said, "Whose supposed to be sitting there?"

There was an empty chair beside Proffessor Flitwick, where the Defence Against The Dark Arts teacher usually sat. It was empty this time.

"The new DADA teacher. I suppose he or she is late" she told him.

"Fashionable late, I'd say. " Parvati interjected. "If it's a she"

Colin and Dennis were discussing about all the things to do at Hogwarts when something caught Ginny's eye. Draco Malfoy and his cronies, Crabbe and Goyle, were looking rather menacingly at Harry and Ron, who were too busy eating to notice.

"Hey, Neville." She said. "What d'you think is up with him?"

"I don't like the look on his face" he shuddered.

"If you ask me" Seamus Finnigan, who was sitting two people away, answered. "He's just being Draco. Have you ever seen him genuinely smile? Apart from when he bullies people of course" He added.

"Yeah," said Dean Thomas from beside Seamus. "His father seems to hear about everything" which caused everyone who heard to laugh.

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A/N: Please vote and comment!

Lots of love xxx
Sparked Firewhiskey