Hey there. Okay so this is my first story and the pairings for it will become obvious but it is Ginny centric because the poor girl gets so much hate. Thank you public static void for such a challenge.

Chapter 1: Defending a Friend

Harry normally didn't take out much time to talk to other people besides Ron and Hermione and occasionally Neville, Dean and Seamus but his two best friends were getting ready to go to Hogsmeade and he couldn't go. So he had decided to take a little stroll and was walking through the corridors when he saw some Gryffindors and Ravenclaws cornering Ginny Weasley against the wall. His eyes narrowed as he heard what they were saying.

"It's hard to believe isn't it?" A fourth-year Ravenclaw girl said nastily. "A Weasley that comes from a Muggle-born loving family was petrifying Muggleborns last year. You know you should have been in Slytherin considering how innocent you look."

Ginny tried to stutter out a shaky reply but no one would let her get a word in and Harry couldn't take it. The events that had happened last year were not Ginny's fault, they were Voldemort's. Or at least from a memory of a Voldemort. Having been the victim of bullying before he came to Hogwarts, he couldn't see his best friend's little sister going through the same thing without stepping in.

"Hey," Harry said firmly stepping out from where he was and glowering at each and every one of them. "Leave her alone – she didn't want to do anything of that, she was possessed! Don't you have anything better to do with your time than bother her?"

"It's not our fault Potter," A Gryffindor girl who he never spoke to began. "She shouldn't even be in this school anymore after the harm she caused. We're just doing what the officials should have done." Harry finally recognized her as Jada Angela, a Gryffindor fourth year as well and even though he knew these students were older, he wasn't afraid of them. He reached out, pulling Ginny behind him and stepping in front of her protectively.

"Isn't that a little cocky of you to say?" Harry said defensively. "Are you saying that Professor Dumbledore doesn't know what's best for his school? Or that Professor Mcgonagall doesn't know what's best for her house? Ginny was not at fault last year." Honestly, the people at Hogwarts could believe anything really and that was honestly just a bunch of rubbish. They had thought he was the heir of Slytherin just because he spoke Parseltongue and now they were blaming Ginny for Tom Riddle's actions. He was ready to pull out his wand if these girls tried anything but clearly they had enough sense not to do that and just sneered at both of them before turning away and leaving. Once he was sure they were gone and wouldn't do a sneak attack, he turned to Ginny.

"Are you alright?" He asked, voice softening instantly. He knew she was shy to talk around him now even more so since he had been the one to save her but he was genuinely worried for her.

Ginny managed a nod through her tear-strained eyes. "Harry…thank you, I don't deserve it but…"

Harry frowned at her now. She didn't blame herself did she? From her words, it seemed as if she did and that worried him a bit. "Ginny, you know it's not your fault right? Whatever happened last year, you're not to blame."

"I-I wrote in the diary," Ginny stuttered out. "So I am partly to blame aren't I? I even hurt Hermione back then."

Harry flinched a bit at the reminder – seeing Hermione petrified with her blank face was not a pleasant memory but it still didn't change the fact. Ginny was not at fault. "Riddle is a monster. What happened to you is his and Lucius Malfoy's fault. You were eleven! You're not to blame." He knew he sounded quite passionate about this but Ginny had only been naïve and in her first year, excited to start Hogwarts. Of course, her crush on him probably didn't help but he had never teased her about that. He knew quite a few people crushed on him for being the Boy-Who-Lived and at least Ginny was never pushy about it and respected him enough to not be most of the time.

Ginny sniffled a bit but didn't say anything to that although it was clear she didn't agree with Harry and the other sighed, knowing right now more than convincing she needed someone to give her company so those bullies don't come back.

"Why don't you hang around me for a bit?" Harry asked with a small smile. "I wouldn't want them to come back."

Ginny blushed a bit at the thought and Harry rolled his eyes.

"I promise I don't bite and I'm really quite normal company," Harry assured her. Even if her crush was a bit strange, right now he was too worried about her to leave her alone. And she was his best friend's sister so he was sure she was good enough company – although he had never hung out with another girl besides Hermione before.

Ginny giggled a little bit. "You sound like Ron."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "How so?" He and Ron had a lot in common but Ginny didn't really know him, she only knew the Boy Who Lived.

Ginny shrugged. "After you saved my life last year, he said I should try talking to you and you're really just a normal person. I can kind of see it…like last year, when Malfoy taunted you about your fame, I can see you don't like it but I don't know…you almost got killed last year Harry trying to save me."

This was the most Harry had ever heard her speak around him and he frowned a small bit at her words but was glad Ron had encouraged her that he was just a normal person with a normal life. He quickly shook his head. "I repeat, it isn't your fault. Besides, he's wanted to kill me since I was a baby – I don't regret coming down into the Chamber to save you. You're important to me, you're important to your brother and I would always save you."

Ginny blushed again and looked down at her feet. "T-thanks for not blaming me Harry."

Harry just nodded and led her to sit by the lake. Seeing she was shivering slightly, he took off his robes wrapping them around her causing her to blush even more but being much more tactful, he didn't point that out and they began talking about random things to one another, mostly about Ginny's family – the twins and Ron especially.