Dean Thomas climbed onto the train with Seamus Finnigan, his best friend, turned briefly to wave goodbye to their mothers, also good friends through their sons, and set off with Seamus to find a compartment.

"You going to meet with Ginny?" Seamus asked with a teasing tone.

"Yep, do you see any of the Weasleys? Or Harry and Hermione even?" Dean answered, ignoring the teasing tone that always seemed to accompany Seamus mentioning Ginny.

"Nope, but I do see a lovely empty compartment that's calling my name," Seamus said.

They entered the compartment, stowed their trunks, and settled in, Dean checking out the window every few seconds to see if the Weasley family had arrived. He wasn't entirely sure if he wanted to see Ginny soon or not. She was his dream sort of girl, one who didn't just lay down and expect the world to be nice to her, but he still didn't feel like dating her was the best move. He didn't quite understand why, but he knew this would end up bothering him until he figured it out.

"Mate, you're focusing pretty hard at the luggage compartment, you all right?" Seamus asked, not too concerned since Dean tended to do the same thing with his art.

"Yep, fine," Dean muttered, noticing belatedly that the Weasley clan had finally arrived due to a certain red headed girl rushing into the compartment to kiss him hello. Seamus smirked and wiggled his eyebrows behind Ginny's back before properly greeting her.

Ginny began rapidly describing her summer, including how much she was dreading her OWL's after seeing Hermione stress out over her, Harry, and Ron's scores. Dean nodded along in the right places, adding in brief reassurances when she paused for breath, but mostly focusing on the fact that Harry had been at the Burrow for most of the summer. Even after knowing Harry for five years and dating Ginny since the end of the year before, he still felt a bit of jealousy and some other emotion he couldn't quite describe when Harry came up in conversation.

I know Ginny liked him for a long time, but she must not anymore, or she wouldn't be dating me, would she? And what does Harry think about us dating? Dean didn't think Harry would have much of a problem with it, but sometimes it was hard to tell with him.

Dean's musings were interrupted in the form of Zacharias Smith poking his head in the compartment.

"Mind if I sit with you guys?"

"Nah, that's fine. How was your summer?" Dean answered.

Zacharias came in and sat down across from Ginny and Dean, next to Seamus. He began telling a long-winded story about his father and him trying out Muggle fishing and all their subsequent failures. Somehow, he looped that story around to end up discussing the events at the Ministry and wondering pointedly what had happened. At this point, Dean realized the true reason Zacharias had come to sit with them: Ginny. She'd been at the Ministry with Harry and would have known exactly what had happened, not just what was in the news. Smith was likely trying to learn more about what had happened. When just discussing the topic failed to garner a reaction from anyone, he switched to a more direct approach.

"So Weasley, you were there with Potter and everyone, weren't you?"

Ginny stared him down for a few seconds before responding.

"Yep."

"Reckon it was pretty crazy, huh?"

Once again, Ginny paused a second before responding. Dean could tell this was not a subject she wanted to discuss with Zacharias. She didn't even give all the details to Dean, preferring not to think about it, which Dean understood.

"Yep indeed."

"I heard You-Know-Who himself got involved and destroyed half the Ministry!" Zacharias continued, oblivious to Ginny's reticence.

Ginny did not respond. Dean thought that was because that wasn't a question.

"So why'd it happen? Why'd he attack?" Zacharias asked eagerly.

"Dunno."

"You've got to know something, you were there! I bet the Death Eaters were pretty intimidating."

Ginny sighed.

"They're Death Eaters, that's what they're trying to do." Ginny's impatience was clear from her tone.

"I bet you were scared pretty bad, you're just a girl." Zacharias, in his quest for information, unwittingly crossed a line.

Ginny's eyes took on a dangerous glint and Dean leaned towards her to calm her down, knowing that had hit a nerve, and try to get that idiot Smith out of the compartment before something happened. Seamus leaned forward, partly in excitement and partly in worry for what Ginny was going to do to Zacharias. Ginny dodged around Dean's hand and stood up, pulling out her wand.

"Vespernas lentis!" She cast the best hex she knew, the Bat-Bogey hex. Dean internally groaned.

Zacharias' eyes widened, as his bogeys rushed out of his nose in the form of large black bats and flew around the top of the compartment rapidly. Dean stood up, with no idea of what he intended to accomplish and immediately sat back down to avoid being hit by a slightly dripping bat. Behind Zacharias, Seamus was silently laughing his head off. Ginny smiled in satisfaction until she noticed the compartment door open ominously, propelled by a large man with an equally large mustache who looked about teacher age, and therefore likely to give detentions.

"I- I'm- er-I mean...," she stammered out. Zacharias took the opportunity to flee, more scared of Ginny than eager to get her in trouble.

"Amazingly good curse milady!"

Ginny froze, and Dean wondered if he'd heard correctly.

"And who're you, sir?" Seamus asked, still repressing a few giggles.

"Professor Slughorn, m'boy!"

"Our new Defense teacher?" Dean perked up in worry upon hearing that this was a new teacher, not wanting Ginny to get in trouble.

"No, I'm a Potions chap. But anyways m'dear, that was a wonderful hex, especially from a student of- what year are you?"

"Fifth year," Ginny answered cautiously, still not certain she wouldn't get a detention.

"And your name?"

"Ginny Weasley, sir."

"Well, Miss Weasley, I'm so glad I saw that marvelous hex. As it happens, I'm hosting a luncheon of sorts in my compartment for particularly gifted students, might I say. Would you care to join us?" Slughorn boomed, his mustache fluttering. Dean jerked back a bit, this not being what he expected to hear.

"I-er-Well I'd be delighted, sir. And you-you won't be giving out a detention to me… will you?" Ginny asked a bit nervously.

"Detention? For that good a hex? Of course not!" Ginny looked quite relieved at that, Dean figured she didn't want to have gotten a detention when the term hadn't even properly started yet.

"Well, I'll see you lot later then," she said, looking over her shoulder as Slughorn propelled her from the compartment, already asking rapid-fire questions about the many other Weasleys, who had apparently done some important things with something-or –other Dean couldn't quite make out. She disappeared from sight as Seamus let his laugh loose again, incredulous at what had happened.

"Well this sure is a start to the year, huh!" Seamus sounded excited as to what else the year would bring.