A/N: Hi!
Some time ago, I don't know how long ago, but well over a year, I wrote this little thing. Well, really I wrote that little thing at the bottom. The piece on the top is a re-write of it. Just to see if I've become any better at it (I at least know I managed to add some 200 words). No events from HBP are taken into account, just some thoughts I made after I'd read the fifth book. As far as I can remember, anyway, based on the conclusions I've drawn from re-reading it.
I suddenly realised that I'd posted loads of crap here. Maybe I'll rewrite some more. Maybe I wont. We'll see.

Comments?

Ron Weasley was sitting with his beast friends, Hermione Granger and Harry Potter, in the Gryffindor Common Room in Hogwarts. He had been thoroughly grinding them to dust for the past five years, and had declined an offer to play chess. Instead he was watching the two of them battle it out, and he was utterly fascinated by the seriousness of it. He had come to the conclusion, some while ago, that this game had lodged itself in their brains as being the one which would define if Hermione really was as brilliant as she was made out to be, considering she lost every game when she was up against Ron.

However, sensing that neither of them would make any progress within the hour, Ron let his gaze wonder among his fellow housemates. His eyes were immediately drawn to those of his own year, and he quickly noticed Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown, sitting in a silent corner reading each other's tarot cards, and Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas, who were sprawled across the centre of the room playing gob-stones. He himself was located within close vicinity of the fire, seeing as the chill of the fall and the winter easily affected Hermione. Neville, however, wasn't in sight, and Ron suspected he was off somewhere with Luna Lovegood. Everyone felt quite certain that there were no romantic feelings between the two, and often wondered why the two contrasts seeked each other out. But Ron knew that the two of them needed someone to talk with after what had happened at the end of the last school year, and was not surprised, despite all their differences. He even suspected the differences did them good.

Thinking about Neville and Luna made him think about the events last term, and thinking about that made him think about his sister, and his eyes easily found her. She was sitting across the room, with a book forgotten in her lap, staring into oblivion, looking thousands of miles past the confinements of the room. She took no part in the conversation going on around her, and looked thoroughly alone despite the crowd.

And suddenly Ron realised why. She had been trough as much as they had last year, but with Ron grouping together with Harry and Hermione, and Neville pairing up with Luna, Ginny had been left with no one. She hadn't had anyone to share it with, nor had they gone out of their way to include her. He felt a sudden pang of guilt, as he realised he hadn't bothered to really check if she was all right.

Not even bothering to excuse himself from Harry and Hermione, who were to involved in their game to even bother if he was there, he walked over to her, and gently perched on the arm of her chair.

"You all right, Gin?" He asked, and gave her a smile.

"I guess," she said with a shrug. Suddenly a wild shriek erupted from somewhere behind Ron, and he spun around to see Hermione with her head in her hands, and Harry dancing a wild chicken-victory dance around her.

"Re-match!" He heard Hermione demand from across the room, "It was a stupid mistake!"

"Ha!" Harry exclaimed childishly, "I won't ever play you again, and you know it! From this day forward, everyone will know that Harry Potter beat Hermione Granger in chess!" He continued his rather stupid-looking dance, with Hermione tailing his steps, begging him to play.

With a smile on his lips, Ron turned back to Ginny. His smile immediately faded as he noticed her haunted look; the sweet bitterness of her smile and the remorseful gleam in her eyes. She was alone, he realised, and not for the first time. She had been alone after her first year as well. The only person who could have possibly understood her was Harry, and he had saved her and walked away.

"Hey, Gin," he said, and drew her attention away from the stupid dance his best friend was conducting.

"Hm?"

"What about joining me, Harry and Hermione in Hogsmeade next weekend?"

"Oh, I don't want to intrude, Ron-"

"Of course you're not intruding! We'd love to have you there!"

"Are you certain? I mean, what'll Harry and Hermione say?"

"You're my sister, and I love you. And they'll love to have you there."

"Oh, okay," she said, and her face brightened, "I'll go with you."

"Great!" Ron exclaimed. "I'd better be heading over to that lot now," he said, excusing himself, "talk to you later, okay?"

"Okay." And she pulled up her book, and he walked back to the two nutcases he called friends. And he was pleased to notice that the next time he looked at Ginny, she was smiling a real smile, a warm smile.

Original Piece

Ron Weasley was sitting with his best friends Hermione Granger and Harry Potter in the common room of Gryffindor House, Hogwarts. He had been playing chess with them and winning thoroughly for about five years now, but now he was the outsider, watching them locked in a chess-battle which seemed so serious that one could start wonder if it was a matter of life of death. Sensing that neither of them would make any serious progress within the hour, Ron let his gaze wander among his fellow housemates. His eyes were immediately drawn to those of his own year. Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown were sitting in a quiet corner, giggling over a teen-witch magazine or an especially promising lay of tarot-cards. Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas were in the centre of the room playing gob-stones with a couple of people from the years under and above them. Harry and Hermione were close to the fire, Ron was a little further away, but Neville wasn't in sight. Still, no one wondered upon his missing. Everybody knew that where you'd find Luna Lovegood you'd find Neville Longbottom.

Ever since the events that had occurred at the end of their fifth year, Neville and Luna had held together. This thought made Ron search the room for his sister. And he found her sitting in a chair with a book forgotten on her lap, her friends chattering happily around her. But it was easy to see that Ginny took no part in the conversation. Her eyes were focused on something far away. She looked quite alone, even though her friends were all around her. She had been quite quiet since the happenings last school year. And suddenly Ron realised why. He, Hermione and Harry had talked the event trough over and over again, and not one of the three doubted that Neville and Luna did the same. But what about Ginny? Who could she talk to? Not one of her friends knew what she had gone trough. Ron didn't know how who could handle it. But then he realised that she had been trough that before. She hadn't had anyone to talk to after what had happened to her in her first year. It wasn't until her third year she begun getting friends, and now it seemed she was letting them slip away.

His train of thought was abruptly broken as a victory yell erupted from the chess table close by. Ron's head spun around, and he found Hermione with her head in her hands and Harry dancing some sort of chicken-slash-victory dance around her chair.
"Re-match!" Hermione demanded, "It was a stupid mistake!"
"Ha!" Harry said, "I won't ever play you again and you know it! From this day on everyone shall know that Harry Potter beat Hermione Granger in chess!" He continued his wild dance around the common room with Hermione following close, begging and pleading for a re-match.

Ron's eyes slipped away from the sight for a second, and landed on his little sister. Her eyes were fastened on the two, a sad smile on her lips, and a remorseful glint in her eyes.

He strolled over to his sister, dropping into the newly vacationed chair next to her. "Hello, Gin." He smiled. "Hi Ronnie." He grimaced at her nickname, but chose to ignore it.
"What you doing?" She opened her mouth to answer, but closed it again.
"Nothing, really, I'm bored!" She said at last.
"Hey, Gin," Ron said. "What would you think about coming to Hogsmead with me, Hermione and Harry next weekend?" She smiled warmly at him.
"I would like that!"