Chapter 1
The Hogwarts Express rattled along, rain thrashing at its windows.
Ginny Weasley had her nose in a book, content and relaxed as she gently swayed with the train.
She was 15 now, her face framed by long fiery red hair, and her eyes were a shade of light brown. She had grown much over the past two summer months, but no one seemed to notice.
"Honestly Ginny, you're acting more and more like Hermione everyday." Her brother disrupted her reading.
"I resent that!" said Hermione incredulously.
"Honestly Ron," she said mockingly, setting her book in her lap, "you're acting more and more like a prat everyday!" She raised her eyebrows at him, a teasing smile on her lips. Ron childishly stuck his tongue out at her. Ginny just threw a nasty face at him.
"You guys are so childish." Hermione said next to her, rolling her eyes.
"Lighten up 'Mione." Smiled Harry, who was sitting across from her, and next to Ron.
"Tell me to 'lighten up' one more time-"
"Or what? You'll hit me over the head with one of your books you carry everywhere with you?"
"If that's what I feel like doing." She sent him a threatening glare.
"Geez! If you keep staring at me like that I'm going to turn to stone." Harry threw up his hands in front of his eyes. "Oh No! Spare me Medusa! Spare Me!"
Ginny chuckled and shook her head at her friends as Hermione hit Harry on the knee with the book that was in her lap. Ginny reopened her book, and shifted more comfortably, drowning out the sounds around her.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Ginny yawned and stretched. Rubbing her eyes blearily, she closed her book again. Only herself and Harry were left in the compartment. Ron and Hermione had to go to the prefect's compartment. Sighing, she stared out of the rain washed glass as the rain slashed at the window. Refocusing her attention, she realized Harry was watching her reflection in the window. She cocked her head to the side, and smiled at him.
"What?"
"Oh nothing."
She turned away from the window, and watched him carefully. Humor was in his eyes, and it was making her smile.
"What? You were staring at me."
"Watching, not staring." He corrected. Something that lingered in his gaze made her stomach tie in knots. Trying to sake away the feeling, she spoke.
"Oh, so now you're Mr. Know-it-all?"
"Not exactly." He replied, "That would be Hermione, and you, close behind her."
"Is that a compliment?" She had become a great deal more outgoing since fourth year. She taught herself to not care what people thought about her, and now she lived by it.
"If you wish to take it that way." Again, the same playful glint played around his eyes, and his grin.
"Why do you look at me like that?"
"Like what?" He continued to smile at her.
"Like that!"
He chuckled. She radiated beauty, with her curtain of red hair, and her laughing brown eyes. He couldn't help but look at her in a special way. She was special to him, and would always be. He knew it from the moment he saved her from the Basilisk and Tom Riddle. Vividly, he remembered the panic that has coursed though his body when he saw her limp form on the damp stone floor of the Chamber of Secrets. Never will he forget the relief that flowed over him when she woke.
"I don't know what-" He gave a dramatic roll of his eyes, "-you're talking about."
"Ugh," She rolled her eyes as well, sighing too.
He pointed a finger at her, and raising a threatening brow. "If you keep that up, you're face is going to get stuck like that."
~*~*~*~
The rain continued to pour down upon the grounds in sheets as the carriages bumped up the path toward Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Ron sat across from her, Harry next to him. He was looking out at the stormy grounds, his eyes full of emotion. Grief, Ginny mused as she studied him. Yes, he'd be grieving for a while from the loss of his Godfather, and she was going to be there for him. She didn't know why she had the sudden urge to hold and comfort him, but she shook it off quickly. It was crazy to be thinking such things. Thoughts of being close to him could, and would, lead to trouble, and utter chaos.
Chewing the inside of her cheek thoughtfully, she went back to staring out her own window. Harry had come to the burrow that summer. He had been caught several times staring at her. She found it odd, but didn't think anymore into it.
Harry ran a hand over his face, trying to shake off the sadness and gaping hole inside him that had been Sirius. Everything reminded him of his godfather, and it seemed impossible to cease the thoughts of his death. Sighing very heavily, and tearing his eyes from the gloom outside, he looked over at Ginny. Ron and Hermionie were immersed in conversation. Ginny had her head in her hand, staring out of her window. Lighting flashed across the sky with a deafening boom, and she didn't flinch. The light caught her eyes, and Harry saw something unusual in the way she stared out at the violent storm. Sorrow? Thoughtfulness? Yes, he mused, she was deep in thought, but what, or who, was she thinking so solemnly about?
"We're here," Chimed Hermione, ripping him away from his thoughts of Ginny.
The Hogwarts Express rattled along, rain thrashing at its windows.
Ginny Weasley had her nose in a book, content and relaxed as she gently swayed with the train.
She was 15 now, her face framed by long fiery red hair, and her eyes were a shade of light brown. She had grown much over the past two summer months, but no one seemed to notice.
"Honestly Ginny, you're acting more and more like Hermione everyday." Her brother disrupted her reading.
"I resent that!" said Hermione incredulously.
"Honestly Ron," she said mockingly, setting her book in her lap, "you're acting more and more like a prat everyday!" She raised her eyebrows at him, a teasing smile on her lips. Ron childishly stuck his tongue out at her. Ginny just threw a nasty face at him.
"You guys are so childish." Hermione said next to her, rolling her eyes.
"Lighten up 'Mione." Smiled Harry, who was sitting across from her, and next to Ron.
"Tell me to 'lighten up' one more time-"
"Or what? You'll hit me over the head with one of your books you carry everywhere with you?"
"If that's what I feel like doing." She sent him a threatening glare.
"Geez! If you keep staring at me like that I'm going to turn to stone." Harry threw up his hands in front of his eyes. "Oh No! Spare me Medusa! Spare Me!"
Ginny chuckled and shook her head at her friends as Hermione hit Harry on the knee with the book that was in her lap. Ginny reopened her book, and shifted more comfortably, drowning out the sounds around her.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Ginny yawned and stretched. Rubbing her eyes blearily, she closed her book again. Only herself and Harry were left in the compartment. Ron and Hermione had to go to the prefect's compartment. Sighing, she stared out of the rain washed glass as the rain slashed at the window. Refocusing her attention, she realized Harry was watching her reflection in the window. She cocked her head to the side, and smiled at him.
"What?"
"Oh nothing."
She turned away from the window, and watched him carefully. Humor was in his eyes, and it was making her smile.
"What? You were staring at me."
"Watching, not staring." He corrected. Something that lingered in his gaze made her stomach tie in knots. Trying to sake away the feeling, she spoke.
"Oh, so now you're Mr. Know-it-all?"
"Not exactly." He replied, "That would be Hermione, and you, close behind her."
"Is that a compliment?" She had become a great deal more outgoing since fourth year. She taught herself to not care what people thought about her, and now she lived by it.
"If you wish to take it that way." Again, the same playful glint played around his eyes, and his grin.
"Why do you look at me like that?"
"Like what?" He continued to smile at her.
"Like that!"
He chuckled. She radiated beauty, with her curtain of red hair, and her laughing brown eyes. He couldn't help but look at her in a special way. She was special to him, and would always be. He knew it from the moment he saved her from the Basilisk and Tom Riddle. Vividly, he remembered the panic that has coursed though his body when he saw her limp form on the damp stone floor of the Chamber of Secrets. Never will he forget the relief that flowed over him when she woke.
"I don't know what-" He gave a dramatic roll of his eyes, "-you're talking about."
"Ugh," She rolled her eyes as well, sighing too.
He pointed a finger at her, and raising a threatening brow. "If you keep that up, you're face is going to get stuck like that."
~*~*~*~
The rain continued to pour down upon the grounds in sheets as the carriages bumped up the path toward Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Ron sat across from her, Harry next to him. He was looking out at the stormy grounds, his eyes full of emotion. Grief, Ginny mused as she studied him. Yes, he'd be grieving for a while from the loss of his Godfather, and she was going to be there for him. She didn't know why she had the sudden urge to hold and comfort him, but she shook it off quickly. It was crazy to be thinking such things. Thoughts of being close to him could, and would, lead to trouble, and utter chaos.
Chewing the inside of her cheek thoughtfully, she went back to staring out her own window. Harry had come to the burrow that summer. He had been caught several times staring at her. She found it odd, but didn't think anymore into it.
Harry ran a hand over his face, trying to shake off the sadness and gaping hole inside him that had been Sirius. Everything reminded him of his godfather, and it seemed impossible to cease the thoughts of his death. Sighing very heavily, and tearing his eyes from the gloom outside, he looked over at Ginny. Ron and Hermionie were immersed in conversation. Ginny had her head in her hand, staring out of her window. Lighting flashed across the sky with a deafening boom, and she didn't flinch. The light caught her eyes, and Harry saw something unusual in the way she stared out at the violent storm. Sorrow? Thoughtfulness? Yes, he mused, she was deep in thought, but what, or who, was she thinking so solemnly about?
"We're here," Chimed Hermione, ripping him away from his thoughts of Ginny.