The Royal Weasleys

As the Weasleys passed through the magical barrier and on to Platform 9 ¾, Ginny found herself searching the crowd for a certain bespectacled seventh-year. Because of increasing Death Eater activity, Harry hadn't been able to spend the last few weeks of the summer at the Burrow as he had in the past. Dumbledore was worried about Harry's safety, and had insisted that Harry stay with the Dursleys until the start of term because of the extra protection afforded him there.

I'm not going to think about that today, Ginny thought to herself. We're going back to Hogwarts today. That's the safest place in the wizarding world now, and we can all keep an eye on Harry there. However, Ginny knew in her heart that trouble would find Harry no matter how closely he was watched.

"Ginny, dear! Come along, you'll miss the train!"

Startled out of her woolgathering by her mother, Ginny looked around and saw that most of the students had already said goodbye to friends and family, and had boarded the Hogwarts Express. Her parents and brother were just about the only ones left on the platform. Her mother was glaring at her, and Ron was talking to Harry through his compartment window.

"Coming, Mum!" Ginny yelled back, pushing her luggage trolley to the porter, who started loading her things into the baggage car. She then joined the group standing by the train. As she approached she could hear her mother fussing over Ron, muttering about her baby boy, and his last year at school. Ron immediately started complaining.

"Mum, would you please stop that! I'm seventeen, I'm not a child anymore!"

Having much evidence to the contrary, Ginny looked up at Harry and grinned. He grinned back, giving her a knowing wink. Before Ginny could marvel at this too much, the whistle blew, and the Weasley parents said their goodbyes.

"Now, you owl me when you get there, to let me know you're safe, and Harry you let me know if they are doing anything they shouldn't," Mrs. Weasley said as her two youngest children boarded the train. Harry blushed guiltily and nodded at this as the Hogwarts Express pulled out of King's Cross Station and headed north.

As the three students were settling in for the ride, Hermione stuck her head into the compartment. Displayed prominently on her new school robes was her shiny new Head Girl badge, and she had a big smile on her face as she greeted her three best friends. Last year, when Hermione's mother had died of breast cancer, Hermione had turned to Ginny, her only girl friend, and they had become best friends and confidantes. As a side effect, through Hermione's influence on Ron and Harry, Ginny had joined the tight threesome, now a foursome.

Hermione came into the compartment, gave Harry and Ginny hugs, and Ron a quick kiss on the cheek. "I just wanted to come and tell you that because of the prefect meeting and patrolling duties, I won't be able to spend much time with you during the trip," she said, as Ron blushed at her kiss. They were still adjusting to their new relationship. Ron had finally admitted his feelings for her while she had been visiting during the summer, and was amazed when she said she felt the same way.

"We expected that, Hermione," Harry replied. "After all, you are Head Girl, and we wouldn't want you neglecting your duties."

"Just promise me that you won't become another Percy," said Ron. Then realizing what he had just said, he looked at his new girlfriend with panic, anticipating her reaction. Hermione's only reply was to stick her tongue out at Ron and stalk out of the compartment. Harry and Ginny burst out laughing at this reaction, and at the look on Ron's face. Harry then suggested a game of Exploding Snap, and they settled down for a nice, relaxing trip to Hogwarts.

~~~~~~~

Later, when the boys were off talking Quidditch strategy with the rest of the team in another compartment, Ginny sat pondering her relationship with Harry. She had decided in her fourth year that pining for Harry wasn't doing anyone any good, so she had done her best to bury her feelings for him. It had actually done their relationship some good.

One day, when he was being his usual stubborn self, Ginny got so fed up with him that she blew up. He had been distancing himself from Ron and Hermione because of Voldemort's return. She had told him that just because he was The Boy Who Lived, it didn't mean that Voldemort was going to just show up one day and kill everyone he loved. She tried to make Harry see that no matter what he tried to do to make that threat go away, Hermione and Ron and all the Weasleys would still care about him, and he for them, and for that reason alone Voldemort would come after them.

After her blow up, Harry seemed to have a lot more respect for Ginny, and started to encourage her to join them more often. It still wasn't very often, but after Hermione turned to Ginny in her grief, Ginny had become the confidante of the group. Hermione came to Ginny with her problems with her mother, frustrations with Ron, and any girl stuff that she couldn't discuss with her two male best friends. Ron had also started to come to her with questions about Hermione and his feelings for her. Of course each told Ginny not to tell the other how they felt on pain of death, but Ginny would never have divulged their secret. It was just too much fun to watch them tiptoe around each other emotionally.

Harry, however, had never confided much in Ginny. He had told her all about Sirius' innocence, and some of the other adventures the trio had during their first years at Hogwarts, but he never got to his feelings about anything. He just told her the facts. Of course, Hermione and Ron had a lot to add to Harry's narrative of events. After being caught up on all the happenings of the group, and being a part of a few more, Ginny felt as if her relationship with Harry was the best that it could get. Except for the fact that she was still in love with him.

She had done her best to will it away, but it was still there. Haunting her dreams at night, and occasionally torturing her during the day. She had even dated Seamus for a short time to see if that would help her heart to heal, but that hadn't worked either. She had finally decided that Harry would always see her as a friend, and had done her best to accept that fact. Any kind of relationship with Harry was better than none at all, she told herself.

Just as she was making this final, stubborn decision, she was interrupted by a drawling voice that she knew all too well.

"What, did the Potter Parade abandon you again, little weasel?"

Ginny looked up to see Draco Malfoy and his two goons, who were now as big as houses, sneering down at her. She was actually surprised to see him. Considering Dumbledore's stance on Death Eaters, she thought his father would have sent him to Durmstrang by now. However, he was here, and was begging for attention again. Ginny had no intention of stooping to his level to give it to him, and tried to ignore the blond bastard. The problem was, she hadn't counted on him coming into the compartment and sitting down next to her.

Apparently, neither had his friends. They looked at each other in confusion, and when Malfoy gave them a dismissive wave, they left disappointedly. Malfoy then proceeded to scrutinize her body, which had developed into a fairly nice hourglass shape, as if he was looking at the latest Firebolt model. She was about to tell him off for looking at her like that, when someone did it for her.

"What are you doing here, Malfoy, and why are you looking at Ginny that way?"

Looking up with relief, she saw Harry standing in the compartment doorway with a look of sheer hatred on his face. He looked like he was about to hex Malfoy into next week, possibly without a wand. Malfoy seemed to remember the last time he had been hexed into next week on the Hogwarts Express, and stood up.

"I was just leaving, Potter," he said, infusing Harry's surname with so much malevolence that it was a wonder that Harry didn't burst into flames right then and there. Then, with a last glance at Ginny's cleavage, Malfoy strode out of the compartment.

"Ginny, are you all right?" Harry said as he sat down next to her and took her hand.

"I'm fine, Harry," she said, but she couldn't suppress a shudder at the thought of Draco Malfoy looking at her in that way. Seeing this, Harry jumped up saying,

"I'm going to get Ron."

"No, Harry, please don't."

"But..."

"Please? It was just the thought of Draco Malfoy. Eugh!" Harry let out a small chuckle at this statement, and sat back down next to her. "I'm glad you showed up when you did, though. Another few seconds and I would have done something I'd have regretted."

"I am pleased to have served you, My Lady," Harry said jokingly, and Ginny responded in kind.

"Yes, you are my knight in shining armour, and I will be forever grateful." If only he knew how true that really was. Then why don't you tell him? Because he'll just laugh in my face that's why. At least thank him for the Chamber of Secrets, you know you never have. Fine then, I will. "Harry?" she said, looking down at her hands.

"Yeah, Ginny?"

"Er, I know this is really overdue in coming, but I just wanted to say thank you for rescuing me in the Chamber of Secrets." Ginny was blushing as she said this, and she hoped that Harry thought it was because she was embarrassed. However, when she leaned over to give him a kiss on the cheek, he started to blush as well.

"Ginny, er, you know I would do anything for you," he said. Then he seemed to realise what he had said, turned even more red, and added quickly, "It's the same for all of my friends."

"Oh, of course." Ginny had brightened inside when he said that he would do anything for her, but his addendum deflated her hope, and she resolutely went back into friend mode. "So, did you work out any new strategies with the team?"

~~~~~~~

Of course, when Ginny told Ron about the incident with Malfoy, as they were riding the horseless carriages from the station up to the school, Ron almost jumped from the carriage to find Malfoy and beat him to a bloody pulp. Thankfully, Hermione was there to restrain him and to distract him with a kiss and some sensible words.

"You know that beating Malfoy up won't do you or Ginny any good. You'll get detention, and Malfoy will be his smug git self, pretending to be too hurt to do anything for half of the term. Don't worry about him, he's not worth the time and energy you spend on him."

"You're right, 'Mione, but I just can't stand the bastard, and I can't tolerate him doing that kind of thing to my baby sister."

"Ron, I'm not a baby anymore, and you can't protect me all the time," was Ginny's response to her overprotective brother's outburst. "What happens when someone else looks at me the way Malfoy did today? And what if I want him to? What are you going to do then?"

Ron looked at his sister as if she had just been transfigured into a hippogriff.

"What!? Has someone else looked at you like that? Who is he? 'And what if you want him to?' How am I supposed to respond to that?" Ron seemed to be pulling himself in two directions at once. He still had his overprotective brother tendencies, but he was starting to realise that his sister was growing up and would have boyfriends. When she had dated Seamus, Ron had almost had a nervous breakdown worrying about what she and Seamus were doing together. He was so relieved when Ginny told him that they had broken up, that he had smiled all through Double Potions with the Slytherins.

Glaring at Ron, Ginny opened her mouth to retaliate, but the carriage stopped right then and Hermione shooed them out onto the front steps. She practically ran into the Entrance Hall to fulfil her Head Girl duties and make sure everyone got inside safely. This took Ron's mind off their previous conversation.

"Honestly, does she think we're all second years that we can't find our way inside without being attacked by something?" Harry flashed Ginny a smile at this, reminded of his second year when the Whomping Willow attacked him, and they all went inside to join the other students.

~~~~~~~

This year's Sorting being much like any other, Ginny didn't pay a whole lot of attention to the new first years. However, when Professor Dumbledore stood up to make his customary welcome speech, she perked right up.

"My dear students and faculty, welcome to another year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I would like to remind all students that the forest on the grounds is forbidden, hence the name. Also, our caretaker, Mr. Filch, has asked me to tell you that this year's restricted items list includes, unfortunately, any new products from that wonderful company-Weasley's Wizard Wheezes." There were a lot of smiles and a few laughs at the headmaster's disappointment, and then he continued.

"I only have one other announcement to make, and that is - Tuck In."

At this, the golden plates lining the tables were suddenly filled with food. It seemed as if the house elves had truly outdone themselves this year. There was more of a variety, and much more quantity of food at this feast than Ginny had ever seen in her six years at Hogwarts. She immediately followed Dumbledore's instructions to "Tuck In," and so did everyone else.

As the meal progressed, Ginny noticed that the girls from her year, whom she had never been close to, kept glancing at her and her friends, and whispering among themselves. She wondered about this, but didn't give much thought to it, as her opinion of them was that they were silly featherbrains.

When everyone had filled their stomachs to bursting, the students left the Great Hall and headed for their respective common rooms. Ginny, Harry and Ron followed the groups of Gryffindors up to their tower. When they got there, they found a group of second years looking lost. It seemed that they had missed the message about the new password. Hermione, being Head Girl, had reminded the three about the password ("Don't forget Ron, it's 'Conundrum.'") before she had gone off to a meeting with Professor Dumbledore and the new Head Boy, Justin Finch-Fletchley.

After opening the portrait hole, and letting the second years into the common room, Ginny, Harry and Ron entered the common room and found their normal seats around the fireplace. Dean Thomas, the Gryffindor seventh-year prefect, was already sitting there.

"Shove over, Dean," said Ron, practically sitting on top of him. Dean quickly moved to the end of the sofa, letting Ron and Ginny sit down next to him. Harry took the comfy chair next to the sofa.

"How was your train ride, Dean?" Ginny asked.

"Not bad, considering the dunderheads that have been made prefects for fifth-year. They were asking all sorts of questions that they should have known already, and Hermione just about took some heads off."

"That's our Hermione," commented Harry, grinning at the three on the sofa.

The four of them started in on Hermione's quirks, with Ron defending his girlfriend one moment, and complaining about her the next. They drifted to other topics as the conversation continued, including but not limited to: the new fifth-year prefects, what prefect meetings were like, Dumbledore's reaction to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes' products being on the restricted list, and what the new WWW products were.

"Fred and George have Lee Jordan working for them, contacting prospective clients and shops. They're thinking about maybe opening a shop at Hogsmede, but for right now, they're just selling at Zonko's." Ginny was filling in Dean about the status of her older brothers' business, when Hermione came through the portrait hole.

"What are all these second- and third-years still doing up?" she exclaimed. "Dean, it's your responsibility to get the younger students to bed on time when I'm not here!"

The group sitting by the fire suddenly became aware that it was 11:30. Dean jumped up, mumbling his apologies to Hermione, and started to usher the younger students to their dorms. Ginny, yawning, told Harry and Ron that she was going to head to bed as well.

Opening the door to the sixth-year girls' dormitory, she found that her dorm mates were all there giggling about something. She ignored them, thinking again how silly they were, and started to get ready for bed.

"Ginny, have you noticed anything different about Harry lately?" came the comment from behind her. Ginny turned around, and saw the other girls - Grace Evans, Emily Warner, and Mary Griffin - waiting with baited breath for her answer.

"No," Ginny replied, confused.

"Oh, well we have," said Grace.

"Really, what?"

The girls started giggling again, and refused to tell her. Ginny spun back around, determined to ignore them, and finished changing into her pyjamas. She lay down in her familiar four-poster bed, and her last thoughts before falling asleep were: It's just going to be another normal year at Hogwarts.