Ginny had grown up being read the saga of the girl-who-lived every night before bed. Mum had been so happy to have a "good role model for her little girl". Ginny was just happy that Calla Potter was out there to be amazing! The books explained all about how she slayed dragons, and attended parties in flowing ball gowns, and hunted werewolves that were terrorizing small villages. Also, she was super pretty. She had flowing black hair and green eyes, with a neat little zig-zag scar right on her forehead. Mum said, that when Ginny went to school Calla would be one year older than her, and in Gryffindor where they could be good friends. Ginny couldn't wait. This year, her stupid brother was going to school and he'd get to meet Calla before her, even though he knew that Calla was going to be Ginny's best friend. Ron had been bragging about it all week. Ginny had been finding spiders in the garden and leaving them in his bed, and he was so stupid he thought it was the twins what was doin' it.
Today, though, the whole family was going to see everybody but her off at the Hogwarts Express. It wasn't a lot of time, but it was still a chance for Ginny to get to Calla first. Just in case, she was brushing her hair and putting in her flower hairclip. It was bright yellow, and Ginny curled up her red hair against it with a bright grin. She'd made it herself out of paper cut into petals spell-o-taped to a bobby pin. It matched with her nicest dress which her mum had made her, which was a flower sack that had been printed with daisies against a nice yellow cotton.
"Ginny, boys! Hurry along! We are going to be late! Get down here!" mum screamed up the stairs. Ginny gave her hair one last pat and raced down the stairs. She was gonna out-do all of her older brothers, especially Ron, and show Calla Potter that she was way prettier and cooler than the dumb older boys. Then, Calla would definitely wait a year for her to come and be her Best Friend Forever.
The whole family was clumped around the floo, with trunks and Errol and Scabbers making shrill noises as Percy nagged at the twins. Ron had dirt on his nose, but Ginny didn't tell him.
"Alright, one at a time, now, your father will go first and then I'll come along behind you all and we'll go to the platform together, understood?" Mum started waving them into the fireplace one by one, and Da nearly tripped on his way. Ginny was the last one through before mum, and as she stepped into the fire her mum finally got a good look at her. "Oh! Well don't you look lovely, Ginny dear."
Ginny smiled, and made sure to speak extra clearly. Her world whirled away into green and then she was stumbling out into a crowd of her family. Fred and George each caught one of her arms and helped her stay upright.
"Careful little sis-"
"-ter, darling! Gotta keep you looking-"
"-fresh as a daisy for your future bestie!" finished Fred. He usually went first, and he had an extra freckle on his nose. This up close Ginny could tell them apart almost every time. Ron grumbled next to them and rubbed at his nose, likely explaining the dirt, Ginny thought disgustedly.
"Leave off, guys! She's in my year, I'm gonna be her friend first! And then she'll never wanna hang out with such a baby." This last bit Ron turned towards Ginny to say. Ginny puffed herself up, feeling her face burn red with rage. Ron looked a tad nervous, now, and the twins were patting at her as if that would sooth her. Ginny took a deep breath, and reminded herself firmly to calm down. This is not how Calla Potter would behave! Calla would be nice because she was always going to win anyways, so she didn't need to get angry. Ginny was going to win, and she was not going to let Calla see her for the first time all red and angry. The twins looked a bit impressed with her now, and that calmed her down even more. Fred and George were some of her biggest heroes after Calla.
Mum had finally come through and finished her two head-counts, so they all started for the platform. She was bellowing something or other about how packed the place was, and Ginny giggled. Mum looked down and noticed her and tried to take her hand. Ginny darted away. She wasn't a baby, she was brave like Calla and she was going to prove it!
One by one, they passed the barrier, and out of the corner of her eye as Ginny went through she noticed a tiny girl with a little black bob cut and big glasses. Her clothes looked even more worn than some of Ginny's things. She had a trunk and a cage with a brilliant white owl. And then, Ginny was through and looking at a bright crimson steam engine. The Hogwarts Express was lovely, but it was like the image of the tiny girl was burned onto the backs of her eyes. Ginny couldn't look anywhere without seeing the slumped outline of the girl.
Mum really did grab her hand this time and it quickly shook Ginny out of her reverie. She yanked her hand away as soon as they reached Da and her brothers.
"Mum! I don't need you to hold my hand! Calla Potter could be anywhere, I can't let her think I'm a baby," Ginny whispered the last bits up into her mum's ear, but mum had already stopped listening. George's trunk was shaking and mum was having a fit about it. Ah, well. At least she was free, now.
Ginny scoped out the crowd for anyone who might be Calla Potter. To her right, a bunch of Slytherins. It couldn't be them. Across the way from her, a few girls with dark hair were standing and chatting but none of them seemed…quite right. They turned around, and Ginny saw their ties were blue and yellow. Nope, not Calla. Ginny turned around and peeked around her Da's dad tummy.
The girl was back. The tiny girl. Her hair was a bit more ruffled and her glasses were askew. She really was even smaller than Ginny had thought. Smaller than her, even, and given her uniform Ginny was a year younger. She looked miserable. And tired. Before she knew it, Ginny was rushing forward and grabbing the girl's trunk. The girl startled and yanked on the handle. Their hands bumped into each other and the girl's face took on a pasty, panicked look. Ginny startled and put her other hand on the girl's shoulder.
"It's okay! This just looks super heavy, so I thought I'd help. I'm not gonna steal it, or anything." Ginny looked down into the girl's face. She looked like an owl, with green eyes wide open and magnified by her glasses. She started smiling a little.
"Thanks," said the girl. Ginny beamed back and started pulling the trunk, and the girl along with it.
"My name's Ginny, by the way," she said. The girl blushed a tad and Ginny felt butterflies in her stomach. She brushed her dark bangs to the side and the smile slid off Ginny's face. Her forehead was gnarled with scars that spread all the way down through her right eyebrow. It looked like…lightning.
"It's Calla. Calla Lily Potter. Nice to meet you." Ginny hurriedly started smiling again. Calla was so quiet. And small. Ginny was horrified by the immediate realization that if she didn't do something, her brother would stomp all over this girl. This girl who was the girl-who-lived.
"Here, you have an owl, right? So do I! Just write a note and send it to Ginny Weasley at the Burrow. I'll write you as well. We can be penpals until I start school next year!" Calla's smile was effervescent. Her eyes almost seemed to be glowing. They'd reached the entrance to the train. Calla was shuffling her feet and glancing up at Ginny, then back to the ground, then back up at her again. Ginny slowly reached up and plucked the flower out of her hair. She tucked it into Calla's hair, but made sure to not pull her bangs from her forehead. Anything that could help keep her out of notice even a little longer, Ginny was sure, Calla would find nothing but a blessing. The yellow looked horrible. But Calla's smile made up for it.
"Thanks, Ginny," she whispered.
"Wait for me, okay?" Ginny couldn't help but ask. Everything in her was being pulled towards Calla, but somehow she felt more worried than awed. "I'll be back in a year, and then we can ride the train together." Calla nodded and her hair fluffed around the rims of her glasses. She petted the flower in her hair.
"I will. Because we're friends, right?" Ginny's cheeks were burning with heat but there was nothing embarrassing about it, not with Calla's cheeks just as red. They were just standing there smiling.
"Right. Friends."
