Harry Potter stared out the window of his room at the Leaky Cauldron. It was his third day here, and he was enjoying the freedom, despite feeling lonely. He'd read and re-read his new school books already. He kept hoping he'd see someone coming through to Diagon Alley that he knew and could talk to. He knew the Weasleys weren't due back from Egypt for a few more days yet, and Hermione had owled that she was going to meet them all then. So it looked like he still had a few more days by himself.

A flash of red caught his eye. It almost looked like Weasley red hair. He looked again and was surprised to see Ginny Weasley making her way through to the Alley. He hurried from his room and went down and tried to find her.

He caught up with her half way down. She seemed in no particular rush, just window shopping. He was surprised that she was alone, but decided to go and talk to her.

"Ginny? Hey, Ginny," he called.

Ginny stopped, but didn't turn around. Damnit, who had seen her? Her first taste of freedom for the summer and she'd been busted. She sighed and finally turned around, stunned when she realised it was Harry Potter.

"Hey, hi," she said, shuffling her feet.

"I thought you were in Egypt for a few more days? Is Ron here?" asked Harry eagerly, looking around for his best friend.

i'Naturally he wants to know if Ron is here'i, thought Ginny. "No, just little old me," she said.

"Your parents let you come alone, after what happened last year?" asked Harry, then blushed as Ginny scowled.

Ginny had a horrid first year. First she was sorted into Slytherin, shocking her brothers, especially Ron and Percy. She'd received a Howler from Molly, saying how disappointed she was. Poor Ginny sought refuge in a diary that she thought her father had got from her. Unfortunately, it happened to be the diary of Tom Riddle, preserved from when he was a school boy at Hogwarts. He spent the year possessing Ginny, finally luring her down to the Chamber of Secrets where he intended to kill her.

Harry, Ron and their new DADA professor, Gilderoy Lockhart had gone down to rescue her. Harry had slain the Basilisk and nearly died himself. Luckily Fawkes came and cried healing tears on his injuries, before flying both Harry and Ginny to safety.

Molly and Arthur Weasley had come to see them in the Headmasters office. Once they had been assured that Ginny was alive and all right, Molly berated her for being a foolish little girl that had hurt a lot of people. Harry had been embarrassed to witness it, and even Dumbledore had tried to calm her mother down. Ginny held her head high, her face red, but did not cry. Harry admired her courage.

Harry had hoped to spend the summer at the Weasleys, but Ron had owled him, saying his father had won some money and they were going to Egypt. He didn't mention anything about Ginny, although Harry had asked in an earlier owl how she was doing. Unfortunately, once Ginny had been sorted into Slytherin, Ron didn't seem too concerned about Ginny. Harry would have thought he would have been more protective of her than ever, but then again, he didn't have siblings, so he didn't know how they acted. Harry didn't know Percy well, but he seemed to have the same attitude towards Ginny that Ron did. The twins still seemed to look out for her, though.

"No, Ron's not here. My family went to Egypt. I got dumped on Aunt Muriel," she said.

"They went without you? Why?" asked Harry, surprised.

"Because I'm a naughty little girl who doesn't deserve a treat like a holiday to go see my brother," said Ginny, "and that's quoting my mother exactly."

"Oh," said Harry, not sure what to think about that. "So you're here with your Aunt?" he asked, looking around.

Ginny smirked. "Not exactly," she said.

Harry liked the look of mischief on her face, it reminded him of the twins. "What are you up to, Ginny Weasley," he said, laughing.

"Nothing. Well, nothing much. It's just that afer spending the last week with Aunt Muriel, I've noticed that she likes a little drink in the afternoon. Actually, she likes to drink a lot. By dinner time, she's sloshed, and I'm all alone."

"Well, it's only eleven," said Harry, looking at the big clock in the Alley.

"I may have set the clocks forward an hour or three," grinned Ginny. "I've explored her house and her grounds, and then I thought, why not come to the Alley? I had a few things I need to get, especially when I found this," said Ginny, pulling a small money bag from her pocket and giving it a shake.

"What is it? You didn't steal from your aunt, did you?" asked Harry, quite surprised at Ginny's confidence. Last year she was always stuttering and mumbling around him.

"What, because I'm a Slytherin, you think I'm a liar and a thief," said Ginny, hurt. "Merlin, you sound just like Ron," she said, walking away from him.

Harry hurried to catch up to her. He grabbed her arm. "Ginny, wait. I'm sorry, I didn't mean it. I know you're not like the other Slytherins."

"You know what, I get that Draco and his goons are complete asses, but most of us are actually quite nice. Not that you lot ever take the time to notice or even try to be friends. You're bloody prejudiced," she cried.

Harry was shocked. "I am not. I, er, I guess I haven't really tried to make friends with any Slytherins, but they haven't tried to make friends with me, either," he said in defense.

"Well, you've made it perfectly clear that you only need Ron and Hermione. Do you even know that your dormmate Dean is a talented artist, or that you and Neville have got a lot in common? Have you even bothered to meet people in other houses? Susan Bones' aunt is head of the DMLE, that's quite interesting. My friend Luna is-"

"Okay, okay," laughed Harry, throwing his hands up in surrender. "I get your point."

Ginny smiled at him. He seemed easy going, and not upset by what Ginny had just said. She couldn't believe she was so fussed about him noticing her last year.

"So, the money pouch is, what?" asked Harry, returning to the original subject.

"Oh. That's the money my parents left with Aunt Muriel to 'take care of me'. Ha! The only thing this money has been used for so far is to tip the house elves who bring her bloody elf made wine," said Ginny. "Well, no more."

"What are you going to do?" asked Harry, fascinated by this new Ginny.

"I'm going to see if I can get a new wand. I don't know how much they cost, but the one I've got is shit. It's not even mine. No wonder my spells and charms weren't very good last year. I barely passed. Of course, then there was the other stuff." She paused, not intending to bring up the Chamber of Secrets. She took a deep breath.

"Harry, I never got a chance to thank you for coming down and rescuing me," she began.

"You don't have to thank me, Ginny," he interrupted.

Ginny punched him in the arm. "Yes I do, now shut up and let me finish." She grinned at him as he rubbed his arm. "I know you only came down because I'm Ron's sister, and I'm sorry you got hurt. You were very brave. A true Gryffindor, you might say," she grinned cheekily.

Harry laughed. "You're welcome. Hey, mind if I tag along while you get your wand? What else do you want to get?"

Ginny thought for a second. "Maybe I can check out the robes? No, not Madame Malkins, I'll, ah, need the second hand robe place. Mum said she won't get me any more Slytherin robes this year, even though I've grown so much since last year."

"Yeah, you're catching up to Hagrid," teased Harry. Ginny was still quite petite.

She nudged him with her shoulder. "Prat. So, robes and a wand are what I'm looking for today. You sure you wanna join me?"

Harry shrugged. "Not much else to do, is there. What do you reckon, wand first?"

Ginny nodded eagerly. "Let's go," she cried, grabbing his hand and pulling him toward Ollivanders.

Merlin, for such a little thing she was strong. He followed her, pleased that he found something to do and someone fun to do it with.

An hour later, a very satisfied Ginny and Harry sat outside Fortescue's, waiting for their icecreams.

"Now I get why all the older girls are so into shopping. That was fun," said Ginny, admiring her new wand. Already the wand felt better in her hand, like an extension of herself.

Florean Fortescue himself brought their chocolate sundaes over to them himself. He'd kept a close eye on Harry this past week, and was pleased to finally see him with a friend, and a pretty little one at that. They both thanked him and tucked in.

"So, will you be back in the Alley another day?" asked Harry, scooping a big bit of chocolate on his spoon.

Ginny shrugged. "I'm not sure. Today I was a girl on a mission. I can't imagine just hanging around, watching people. Sounds kind of boring."

"It's not too bad. See that man over there reading a paper. And the woman over there having a cup of tea. I've decided that they're secret agents, and somehow they're passing messages to each other," said Harry. People watching had kept his mind idle this last week.

"Ooh, what about him? He looks like he's on the run, see how his eyes are shifting around, wondering who's looking for him? Hey, that reminds me, did you hear about Sirius Black?" asked Ginny, joining in on the fun.

"Who's Sirius Black?" asked Harry, eating more ice cream.

"Nobody told you? Sirius Black is the first person to break out of Azkaban, that's who. Azkaban is-"

"the wizarding prison, yeah, I know that," said Harry. "So it's a big deal that he broke out, so what?"

"Sirius Black was sent to Azkaban for murdering a lot of innocent people the night your parents were killed, then seen to be laughing about it. Kind of crazy, hey? You know, he never even got a trial, which is really strange," mused Ginny.

"Did he know my parents?" asked Harry, putting down his spoon. "Damnit, I hate finding out all this, this-shit! No-one tells me anything about my life, my past. I hate it." He was so frustrated.

"Harry Potter, did you just swear?" teased Ginny.

"Yeah, must be the influence of my new friend, Ginny Weasley. You know her, she's a wonderful Slytherin," teased Harry back.

"And we've only been friends for, what, two hours? Imagine what you'll be like after a day or two. Maybe it's a good thing I'm not a bloody Gryffindor," grinned Ginny.

He smiled, then remembered what they had been talking about. " I almost wish I could talk to him, just so I could find out more about that night," he said, wistfully.

"Hey, are you doing anything tomorrow?"asked Ginny, an idea sparking in her mind.

Harry shook his head.

"Why don't you come over to Aunt Muriel's? She's got a great library, and there's lots of information about the old magical families. I can't promise anything, but we might find something out about your family," said Ginny.

"Won't your aunt mind?" asked Harry, his heart racing at the thought of finding out about his family.

"I don't think so. Besides, if you come over in the afternoon, she'll be sizzled by then. She'll either pass out, or we can ask her questions. She's more likely to answer when she's drunk. She can be quite a hoot if she's in a good mood. She's told me a few things about Mum and Dad, you know," said Ginny, winking at him.

"Are you sure?" asked Harry.

"Of course I'm sure. I'll even start checking tonight. I guess I really should go," sighed Ginny, rubbing her stomach in satisfaction.

"How can a little thing like you eat all that?" asked Harry.

"Us Weasleys have got a fast metabolism. Look at Ron. Although, I'd rather not when he's eating. Tends to shovel it in, that one," she said, affectionately.

Harry studied her. "I'm sorry if we ignored you last year at school, Ginny. I know what it's like not to have friends, and so does Hermione. We should have tried harder, checked in with you once in a while," he said.

"Harry, you're not my brother. Look, it's fine-well, not fine, but it's done, it's over. I'm getting over it, slowly," said Ginny.

"What do you mean?" asked Harry.

"I still have nightmares, you know. The things he said to me, and wrote to me. I was a silly girl, and it nearly got people killed. You don't just get over that in a day or two, do you?" she asked rhetorically.

"No, you don't. You're not alone, you know. I still have nightmares. About my first year and Quirrel, about the basilisk. Merlin, that thing was big," said Harry.

Ginny was silent, shaking slightly. Harry looked at her in alarm. "Geez, I'm sorry, Ginny. I said that without thinking."

She looked at him. "I thought I might speak to the new DADA professor, get him to teach me some defensive spells or something. I need to know I can protect myself if I have to, you know?"

Harry nodded. "Any idea who it is?" he asked.

Ginny shook her head. "No. I just hope it's someone who actually knows what they're talking about. Lockhart was a fool. I can't believe some of the girls actually liked him."

"Hermione did," grinned Harry. "Even had little hearts around her timetable of his lessons."

"You and Ron do know she's a girl, right?" asked Ginny, grinning.

Harry laughed. "Yeah, we do. So, what time tomorrow?" he asked.

"Come over around lunchtime. If Aunt Muriel's in a mood, you can hide in the library till she starts drinking. Just floo to Prewett's Pride," said Ginny, grimacing at the name.

She stood up and stretched. She surprised Harry by giving him a quick hug. "I'm so glad we met up today, Harry. And don't think I didn't notice you paid the extra galleon on my robes when I was a bit short of money. Thank you, my brave Gryffindor," she giggled.

"You notice too much. I'm glad we met up today too, Lady Slytherin," teased Harry, bowing slightly.

He escorted her back to the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron, and she flooed away from there.

"Your girlfriend's cute, Mr Potter," said Tom, the owner of the Leaky Cauldron.

Harry smiled at him. Well, Ginny was a girl and she was his friend, so technically he was right. They were only thirteen and twelve, after all. Harry wondered if, after what she went through last year, she felt older than twelve. Harry certainly did.

Ginny Weasley, his friend. A Slytherin. He pondered what she had said. Had he become prejudice to Slytherins, because of his run ins with Draco Malfoy and his cronies, Crabbe and Goyle? He really hadn't taken any notice of any others, or any from the other houses too.

He promised himself he would make a better effort to make more friends this coming school year. At least he had Ginny. He wondered if she liked Quidditch as much as him and Ron. He'd have to ask her about that tomorrow too.

All in all, he was quite happy with his day. Looking at his books, once again he tried to open Hagrid's required book for Care of Magical Creatures. The book jumped off the bed and hid under it.

Harry got on his hands and knees and peered under the bed. All of a sudden, the book came straight for him, teeth clashing. Harry jumped on the bed just in time.

"Shit!"he cried, breathing hard. He jumped down and stood on the book, securing it with a shoe lace. He grinned, feeling triumphant.

Ginny Weasley and her potty mouth were definitely rubbing off on him. Still sometimes a swear word was exactly what was needed in certain times.

He had a feeling this was going to be an interesting year at Hogwarts.