Thank you for the reviews. I'm not sure about this chapter so feedback is, as always, greatly appreciated.

"Hermione! Over here!" Ginny called, waving as she crossed the road in front of King's Cross Station with her mother. Hermione waved back as her parents drove on, having just dropped her off.

It was the first time, in all the years that she had been coming here, Ginny could remember being early. Though, that was probably because there was only her to get ready this year, which had eliminated the commotion that the first of September had usually brought to the Weasley household.

"This feels really strange you know," Hermione said, looking worried but grinning at the same time. She was still tanned from her trip to Australia.

"Stranger than last year?" asked Ginny, and Hermione took her point.

"I'm so old though. I'll be nineteen at the end of this month."

"Old?" puffed Mrs Weasley indignantly.

"She means to be going to school Mum," Ginny placated her.

They continued to walk through the station; ignoring the stares the muggles were giving Ginny who was carrying Pigwidgeon in a cage by her side. They casually lent through the barrier at platform 9 ¾ and found Luna waiting just beyond it.

"Hello," she said dreamily. Her new head girl's badge was pinned to her scarf.

"Hi Luna," said Ginny brightly. "Looking forward to going back?"

"Oh yes. It's a bit strange though. The last time I was on the train I was kidnapped."

"How is the house Luna?" said Mrs Weasley quickly.

"It's coming alone nicely, thank you. Shall we get on the train?"

"You don't have to wait Mum," said Ginny. "The train doesn't leave for another half an hour."

"Well alright," she replied reluctantly. "I suppose I really should go and visit George at the shop."

"Ron said it was really coming along well," said Hermione. "Pity they couldn't have got it ready for the reopening before we had to go back to school."

"I know," said Ginny longingly. "It's going to be such a great party."

"Well you lot behave yourself," Mrs Weasley told them, giving each girl a hug and a kiss in turn. "You won't have the boys to blame for leading you astray. And Ginny try not to start any underground rebellions this year."

"I'll try Mum," she said, hugging her again before she finally got on the train.

"Bye!" they called in unison as Mrs Weasley waved, slightly teary eyed and disappeared back through the barrier.

Finding an empty compartment easily as there was barely anyone on the train yet, they stored their trunks away and Hermione let Crookshanks out of his basket.

"So how were your parents about letting you go back to school?" Ginny asked as Crookshanks landed on her lap. She had looked after him the previous year and also when Hermione had been in Australia, so they had grown quite fond of each other. "They'd only really just got you back."

"They were fine about it," chirped Hermione. "They're going to be busy setting up the practice again now anyway, and they don't remember me not being there for the past year so it didn't bother them."

"They weren't tempted to stay in Australia once you'd brought back their memories then?"

"Oh no," said Hermione at once. "Dad said it was very nice but far too hot for his liking. No they much prefer it here."

"That's nice for them," said Luna.

There was a rap at their compartment door and a tall boy with long fair hair looked anxiously in at them all.

"Come in!" shouted Ginny at once. "You came back!" she exclaimed as the boy sat down beside her and waved nervously at Luna.

"Yes," he said, looking around the compartment yet not making eye contact with any of them. "It was so much fun last year I thought it would be good to finish my NEWTs." It was hard to make out the end of the sentence as his speech became more of a whisper with every word he spoke.

"If you thought last year was fun just wait 'til you see Hogwarts when it's not under an oppressive regime. Hermione this is Rolf Scamander." They shook hands. "He only started Hogwarts last year."

"Oh really?"

"Yes. Before then I was…"

He stopped, seemingly becoming more interested in a stain on his trousers.

"Before then he was being schooled at home," Ginny finished for him. "Luna recruited him to the DA last year."

"Oh lovely," said Hermione overenthusiastically.

Rolf nodded and then stared at the luggage rack above their heads.

"Did you have a nice summer?" he asked.

"Are you talking to the trunks or to us, Rolf?" said Ginny.

"Did you have a nice summer?" he tried again, looking at the three girls but still careful not to make eye contact.

"Oh lovely," said Hermione, again in unusually bright voice. "I went to Australia."

"I've been there," said Rolf.

"With your granddad?" asked Ginny. "Rolf's granddad is Newt Scamander."

"Oh lovely," said Hermione for the third time.

"Yes and he's in Ravenclaw, is that lovely too?" said Ginny cannily.

Without saying a word to anyone Rolf got up and left.

"See you at the feast Rolf!" called Luna. "Oh. I think you embarrassed him," she said to Hermione.

"I embarrassed him?"

"Don't worry about it," said Ginny as Hermione's mouth continued to flap wordlessly. "He talks more and stays longer the more he gets used to you. It's because you're new that's all."

"I'm not new."

"You're new to him."

Hermione brooded about how much Hogwarts would have changed in the year she hadn't been there, while Ginny and Luna perused the latest edition of the Quibbler – the only publication not concerned with what Harry had had for breakfast that morning. Not that Ginny knew what Harry had had for breakfast either, nor Ron come to think of it. The last time see had seen either of them had been last night when Mrs Weasley had laid on a special 'End of the Summer' dinner and invited Harry and Hermione. Ginny had had to spend the evening making polite small talk with Harry over the table, all the time wishing she could just get a moment alone with him to say goodbye properly. The right time just never arose though, and she had to make do with a friendly hug at the end of the night while her parents and brothers looked on.

Ron had seemed the only one happy with this outcome, and not thinking she could take another moment looking at his smug face when he got to kiss Hermione goodnight properly, Ginny had gone to bed promptly and had a little cry before falling asleep and dreaming about the next time she would see Harry.

"What's going on?" said Hermione irritably, as several of the younger students flew down the corridor outside.

"It's nearly eleven," said Ginny. "They're probably just looking for somewhere to sit."

She smiled to herself as she noticed Hermione fidgeting in her seat. She had given up her prefect duties this year; reasoning that she would be spending so much of her time catching up on her school work there just wouldn't be enough to fit everything in. Ginny thought she knew the real reason though – Hermione just didn't trust herself to be given orders by Luna's head girl. Either way, Hermione simply didn't have the authority anymore to tell the rampaging first years to sit down.

After a while though, Ginny found herself wishing that she did. People continued to run up and down outside and there was a terrible amount of noise being made. All she wanted was to lie back and maybe go to sleep for a little while. She was silently dreading the moment the train would start to move and take her hundreds of miles from the one person she wanted to see most, but she knew once she was off it she would have Hogwarts and organising the new quidditch team to distract her. Daydreaming as she was now though, she thought she could almost hear Harry's voice.

Hermione pulled back the compartment door to glare properly at a group of gaggling third years that had stopped just outside it.

"Oh my – Ginny look!" she exclaimed.

Ginny lent forward in her seat to peer out of the corridor window, but found that her view was blocked by the group of third years.

"What? What are they staring at?" she said casually.

"Look!" said Hermione, grabbing her by the shoulder and pulling her out of her seat.

They pushed their way to the window outside their compartment with great difficultly, as everyone in the train seemed to be in the corridor. When they finally reached it Ginny could see clearly what had got Hermione so flustered. Slowly coming towards them, ignoring the pointing fingers and eager looks of parents still on the platform, were Ron and Harry.

"I thought they were meant to be at work?" said Ginny quickly, hoping that this would cover the loud beating sound coming from her chest. "Ron was gone already when I got up this morning!"

"Oh look, they're looking for us," said Luna, joining them, just as Ron gave a tremendous roar of her name. It was true, they were carefully scanning every face in the train as they walked down, but they were still several carriages away and the train would be leaving any second.

"Bang the window," said Ginny, urging the other two to copy her.

"I think someone might have already thought of that," said a burly fifth year boy behind them.

The whole train shook as the carriage Harry and Ron were nearest to gave a deafening roar, and generally used all of their limbs to make as much noise as possible. The two boys gave an appreciative wave and kept searching.

"Here," said the fifth year again, and with one massive paw he swept aside the third years, clearing a path to the train door. They flung it open just as the train started to move.

"Harry!" screamed Ginny, sending three red sparks into the air with her wand. The two boys sprinted to them, and with longer legs Ron got there first.

"Shouldn't you be at work?" said Hermione, hanging out of the door beside Ginny, Luna on her other side.

"Nice – to see – you too," panted Ron, before placing one foot on the train and bringing her into a tremendous embrace. Ginny was just about to congratulate him on his improved technique since Lavender, when Harry caught up.

"Move!" he said forcefully, pulling Ron off the train and taking his place. "Had to say goodbye," he added before giving Hermione and Luna a kiss on the cheek. He saved Ginny for last, again giving a quick kiss like the other two, but adding a very long and very tight one-armed hug. To an onlooker, which included most of the train and everyone on the platform, it would have looked friendly enough, but none of them would ever know what Harry whispered as he pressed his lips close to her ear.

"Harry! Watch!" called Ron just time, as Harry jumped back off the train on to the last piece of platform. Both of the boys waved through the steam until the train turned around the bend and they were lost from sight.

"Well that was unexpected," said Hermione breathlessly.

Luna thanked the fifth year boy as he again bowled the third years sideways, allowing them to get back to their compartment, but Ginny remained completely silent, and aimlessly followed the other two to their seats.

"I like Harry's long hair," said Luna picking up the Quibbler again. "It was like that when Dobby saved us from the Malfoys'."

"He's had it cut since then," said Hermione. "But it's still longer than it was. Do remember the beard he had as well?" she said with mirth. "Did you ever see him with the beard Ginny? Ginny?"

"Are you alright Ginny? Is it a Wrackspurt?" said a concerned sounding Luna.

"Harry just told me he loves me," she blurted out, and then brought her hands up to her mouth like she was going to be sick.

Hermione immediately jumped up and made sure there was no one listening outside in the corridor.

"What?" she whispered as she closed the compartment door tightly. Ginny didn't think she could repeat it if she wanted to. Her mouth seemed to have died.

"When?" Hermione tried again.

"Just there now, when he was on the train," she squeaked.

"When he was hugging you?"

Ginny nodded. Hermione looked impressed.

"I didn't know he was so smooth. What did you say?"

"Nothing. You were there. There wasn't time! Why would he say it when I couldn't say it back?"

"Just to clarify – there is something going on between Harry and you?"

"Hermione!"

"I just like to have all the facts. Maybe you misheard him? Maybe he said 'I'll miss you.' There was a lot of noise and I think I heard a couple of those third years shout 'I love you.' Maybe it was one of them you heard?"

"It was definitely Harry," Ginny reiterated. "And he either said 'You look beautiful and I love you.' Or 'You look beautiful You-Know-Who.'"

"Well there you go, maybe he thought you were Voldemort."

Ginny hit her with Luna's Quibbler.

"Harry would never call Voldemort You-Know-Who," said Luna, who was listening to the conversation despite her apparent disinterest.

"Thank you Luna," said Ginny. "So what do I do?"

"What do you mean?" said Hermione.

"Do I write to him? Do I say nothing? What?"

"Well that depends. Do you want to say it back or not?"

"I – I don't know," said Ginny. "Ugh! This is not how I imagined this would be!"

"Oh that's right," laughed Hermione. "There was meant to be a waterfall."

"Why?" asked Luna. "To attract - "

"Not to attract anything Luna," said Hermione. "It was just meant to be the setting. And it would be night time, preferably during the summer, and all the stars would be out, and he would take her in his arms and say - "

"How do you remember this stuff?" said Ginny.

"That's not very romantic," remarked Luna. "I think what he said on the train was probably better than that."

"Because you used to fill my head with all this nonsense when I was revising so it stuck in there," said Hermione to Ginny. "You used to go on and on. And that reminds me – now you have to give up quidditch and chocolate."

"What?"

"You told me that if Harry Potter told you he loved you, you would give up chocolate and never ride a broomstick again."

"I was thirteen!" said Ginny. "And I was making a desperate plea to the universe to get him to notice me!"

"Well the universe thinks you should pay up."

"Is one of you Luna Lovegood?"

The compartment door was pulled roughly back to reveal a slightly irate looking woman standing glaring at them all.

"I'm Luna," sang Luna.

"Are you the new Head Girl?" asked the woman, brushing shortly cropped brown curls behind her ears.

"Yes."

"And is there anywhere you're meant to be right now?"

"Luna," said Hermione suddenly. "The prefects!"

"Oh yes," said Luna unconcernedly, getting up. She turned suddenly at the compartment door, causing the woman who was clucking her tongue at her to jump. "Ginny, true love is saying it when you don't need to hear it back." And with no further explanation she left.

"Who was that?" Hermione asked, as the woman frog marched Luna down the corridor.

"New teacher? There'll be a lot of vacancies this year," said Ginny.

"Luna's right you know," Hermione continued, as Ginny reached to get a piece of parchment out of her trunk. "You don't have to write to him straight away. True love is also knowing you didn't have to say it at all."

"Did you get that out of a book?"

"No."

"Well then you're just saying that because Ron's never said it to you," smirked Ginny, reaching for a quill.

"He has," said Hermione, indignantly.

"Saying 'Hermione, I love you for letting me copy your homework', does not count."

"He didn't say it like that! He said it properly!"

"Really? When?"

"When we were in Australia," said Hermione. "Right before he…"

"Before he what? Asked you to marry him?"

"It's none of your business," said Hermione, picking up the Quibbler Luna had left behind.

"What's none of my business? Before he – Hermione you didn't!"

Hermione ignored her, seemingly engrossed in an article about Stubby Boardman and his role in Voldemort's downfall.

"Hermione," said Ginny, calmly taking the magazine from her. "Did you sleep with Ron?"

"No comment."

"Ugh!" shuddered Ginny. "Ugh! I cannot believe you just ruined the day Harry told me he loved me by telling me you'd slept with my brother!"

"I said no comment," Hermione protested.

"And if you hadn't you would have just said no." She shuddered again and made a retching noise.

"Ginny shush! Stop being horrible! It wasn't like that – what are you doing?" she asked, noticing her scribbling away on the parchment.

"Well I'm definitely writing to Harry now."

"You dare," snarled Hermione.

"Fine!" said Ginny, putting her quill down. "So…"

"So…"

"So how did it - No it's too weird! Sorry but it's my brother – anyone else and I would have asked but it's Ron so – Ugh!" she shuddered again.

"Fine. I don't want to hear about Harry and you either."

"Yeah right," snorted Ginny and Hermione gave a yielding smile.

"Have you?" she asked wryly.

"No! Harry and I aren't even in the place where we're ready to tell people we're actually dating. We shouldn't even be thinking about… the other thing yet."

"You do though."

"What?"

"Think about it."

"'Mione!" said Ginny incredulously.

"Well he told you he loved you so it must be pretty serious and your mum told me you stayed over at Grimmauld Place when we were away."

"We just slept," said Ginny truthfully. "And I'm not thinking about it."

"He will be," said Hermione, and she casually picked up the Quibbler again and didn't say another word.

--

Hours later and Ginny was enjoying a dream she hadn't had in years, albeit a slightly racier version than she had had when she was thirteen. It was the summer, the stars were out, there was a waterfall and there was Harry. Except this time when he took her in his arms he didn't just tell her he loved her. Unfortunately she was woken up before the really good part.

It was the woman from before, only this time instead of giving disapproving glares to Luna she was screaming into a pillow she had just conjured.

"Hello?" said Ginny blearily. Hermione was just stirring in the seat opposite.

"Sorry," said the woman. "I didn't realise there was anyone in here. It was so… quiet."

"We were asleep," said Hermione.

"Sorry," said the woman again. "It's just… I really hate children."

"Then you're probably on the wrong train," said Ginny.

"Oh I know," she replied with a dry smile. "But I had something to do in London and this was the quickest way of getting back to Hogwarts. Can I stay?" she asked, sitting down beside Ginny. "Yours is the only compartment not completely over run by gibbons disguised as students."

--

"Every time this man speaks my brain ceases to function."

"I know what you mean," said Harry.

He was trying to listen to an old wizard at the front of the room lecture them on the importance of concealment and disguise, but kept drifting in and out, his mind more occupied with a scarlet steam train that he supposed would be nearing Hogwarts now. Reggie, the girl he had met in the ministry, had been successful in obtaining a job there, in the Auror department no less, and was currently lying with her head resting on her folded arms on the desk in front of her.

"What do you think they're doing to him?"

She was referring to Ron, who had been removed from the room a few minutes previously to help with a 'demonstration'. Harry didn't have time to answer before the door opened again and two Ron Weasley's came striding in, both looking thoroughly disgruntled.

"Ooo," said Reggie, sitting up and looking interested. The rest of the room did the same.

"Can anyone tell me what this is?" asked the old wizard.

"Polyjuice potion," Harry whispered to Reggie, who put her hand up and gave the answer. Harry didn't know whether it was because she came from a different schooling system, or because she hadn't had to grow up dealing with the types of catastrophes the rest of the class had, but Reggie was somewhat lacking in basic defence knowledge. He tried to help her whenever he could.

"Exactly Miss Ryan. Well done. Now one of these gentlemen is the real Mr Weasley, whilst the other is a volunteer from another department, Mr Gamble. Now if you two would like to stand here and face the others – that's it just there – Now, does anyone want to hazard a guess as to which one is which? Now don't move you two. We don't want to give them too many clues."

The two Rons stood quite still, only moving their eyes as their gaze fell over each of the class, who were very reluctant to 'hazard a guess'. It was after all impossible to tell the difference between the two. The potion made the drinker an exact replica of the other and without any movements to help give away any hints, the exercise was futile. Harry suspected that this was maybe the point, that the old auror was trying to show them how difficult their job would be, until Mr Gamble made a fatal error that showed Harry exactly who the real Ron was.

He allowed himself a small smile before raising his hand.

"Yes Mr Potter?"

"Ron's on the right."

"Are you?" the old wizard asked the two Rons. They both nodded and the wizard's face fell. "Oh… well… that's never happened before… so… but we've never had Mr Potter before… did you know that or did you guess?"

"I knew," said Harry.

"Of course," said the wizard and he didn't press him any further. This was why Harry didn't like answering any questions. Their tutors seemed to think that he had some special powers that they knew nothing about and so treated him with a kind of reverence that made him uncomfortable. He had dissuaded from telling them otherwise by Ron, who had quite rightly pointed out that it sometimes came in useful, like allowing them to leave work for a few hours that morning.

"I think we'll leave that there then," the wizard dismissed them. He was still scratching his head when Harry and Ron left the room.

"How did you do that?" squealed Reggie, catching up to them. "That was amazing. Is it your special Boy Wonder tricks again?"

After their first meeting outside the offices on level one, Reggie had admitted to doing some research into Harry's past, so that she was more 'clued up' on the British culture. It was for this reason he had chosen him to be the one to help her with her 'pitiful' auror skills. Harry didn't mind, he was used to helping people with this sort of thing after all, and it was nice to have someone around who didn't know every intricate detail of his life, which was becoming increasing hard to find as the Prophet continued to hound him. Ron was less enthused by the arrangement.

"It's the Boy-Who-Lived, not Boy Wonder."

"Actually I prefer Harry."

"So how did you do it?" said Reggie.

"It wouldn't help you if I told you."

"It might. Pleeeease," she pleaded.

"He looked at my scar," said Harry finally. "Gamble looked at my scar. Ron would never do that."

"Well that doesn't help me at all," said Reggie. "What are you guys doing now?"

"Nothing," said Harry, as Ron shot him daggers with his eyes.

"Are you hungry? Do you want to go get something to eat?"

"No," said Ron firmly, as his stomach gave a loud grumble.

"Uh oh, busted," Reggie said, tickling his belly. "So what was it like having a double? Were you not all like 'Squee!'"

"Did you just say squee?"

"Squee!" said Reggie, tickling him again.

"Why don't you both come to mine for dinner?" said Harry quickly stepping in between them. "Kreacher makes a great Shepard's pie."

"Oh cool. Wait here and I'll just go get my stuff."

"I feel violated," said Ron as she left. "What are you doing inviting her to dinner? We see enough of her at work – rather you do."

"What's that meant to mean?"

"'Oh Harry! Can you help me with this?' 'Oh Harry! How do I make this work?' 'Oh Harry!' 'Oh Harry!'"

"She needs a bit of help, that's all. I don't mind."

Ron looked at him sternly, but said nothing as Reggie arrived back.

--

After Reggie had got over the excitement of 12 Grimmauld Place appearing from nowhere, and the fact that Harry had a house elf, he was able to bring her down into the kitchen, Ron following grumpily behind them.

"So where were you this morning?" she asked, throwing her bag on the table. "I had to go to that talk all by myself!"

"We had to go visit Weasley's Wizard Wheezes," said Harry. "Should be opening next week."

"Really? Cool. Does that mean you'll be at work less?" asked Reggie, looking to Harry.

"No," said Ron shortly. "I work there, not Harry."

"Oh. So why did you have to go, Harry?"

"I have an invested interest," he said, putting the kettle on. "Tea?"

"Do you have coffee?"

"No sorry."

"S'ok. Where's your bathroom?"

"It's upstairs. Kreacher will show you."

Ron smirked as the old house elf led her out of the room.

"What?" said Harry, offering him a mug of tea.

"'Oh Harry. Will you show me to the bathroom Harry?'"

"What? You think I was rude sending her with Kreacher?"

"No I think you were just right. Don't want to be alone with a girl like that, or do you?"

"You sound like your mother," laughed Harry. "And I'm sure Reggie wasn't planning to accost me in the bathroom. I really think she just needed to use it."

Ron gave him a sceptical look.

"Funny you should mention my mother," he said. "She said Ginny stayed over here when we were away."

Harry nearly choked on his tea. Ron took advantage of his momentary silence.

"If you hurt my sister I will kill you. Then my brothers will also kill you."

"Nothing happened," Harry spluttered, his throat burning from his hastily gulped tea.

"You're lucky I believe you."

"We're just…" But he couldn't lie to Ron. There was no point. "I'm not going to hurt her ok?"

"Good. Because she's writing to you already."

Harry turned in his seat to see Pigwidgeon flying down the staircase looking windswept, but very pleased with himself.

--