Chapter 1: Someone to Watch Over Me
Ginny Weasley moved through the compartments in silence, looking for someone. She would not admit to herself completely who it was. After all, one would hope that she would have gotten over her crush after five years at Hogwarts. But apparently no matter how much she grew up, her infatuations never did. She paused at the entrance to the next compartment. Behind these next doors were the dreaded Slytherin compartments. She took a deep breath, knowing that whom she wanted to see was in the very back of the train. He always was. She frowned. Was it worth going through the compartment at all? She would likely get to their compartment and be shooed away to go sit with Neville Longbottom as always. She looked at the door determinedly, pushing her long red hair away from her brown eyes and pushing the compartment door away. Her other hand fingered the wand in her pocket.
"Aren't you a little far from your Gryffindork-dom?" The voice that asked it was Pansy Parkinson. Ginny sighed inwardly. She had almost made it to the other side of the compartment before it happened too. So close. She could keep walking, she supposed. Right out the door as if the pug like girl didn't even exist. That would be the best action. "Did you hear me, Gryffindor" asked the girl, annoyed at being ignored. "What do you want, Parkinson," asked Ginny, turning to face her. Ginny set her face into a nonchalant, almost bored expression. "What do I want," Pansy asked with a twittering giggle. "What do I want? I want to know what the likes of you are doing in our Slytherin area." "You don't own this part of the train," Ginny responded. Pansy's compartment was full of her friends, all watching her with amused admiring eyes. They had their noses practically pressed against the window. Ginny looked over her shoulder again to see how far the door was. It made her heartbreak to know she was so very close to her destination and yet so very, very far. Physically and emotionally. She could also see other Slytherins begin to stick their heads out of compartments. Crabbe stuck his head out two compartments away. Ginny sighed; silently praying Draco Malfoy was not present in the area. That would simply ruin her day completely. "Well," asked Pansy. "Are you going to give me what I want?" "Jesus, Parkinson," sighed Ginny. "I can only do so much magic to fix that nasty face of yours." Ginny was pleased to see that even a few of Pansy's friends had to stifle their giggles. Pansy's eyes flashed dangerously as she circled Ginny like a shark waiting to attack. "Look whose talking. Ratty hair, hand me down robes, a smell of old thrift stores. Why not just plaster the word beggar on your forehead," tutted Pansy. Her friends outwardly laughed at this comment, eyes dancing as if watching a cartoon. "Only if you write Pug Faced and Desperate on yours," replied Ginny calmly. Pansy stopped circling and reached for her wand. "What did you say," she snapped pointing it at Ginny's nose.
"Now, now, Pansy," drawled a voice behind them. "Lets not waste our Slytherin house points before we're even at school." Ginny gave an internal moan of desperation. Why were the fates mocking her like this? All she wanted to do was go to sit with the dream team. Was this the fates' way of making her admit why she was moving to the back of the train. Fine, fates, she thought. I want to see Harry Potter. Happy? "Drakey," Pansy whined, giving him a pouty face. "She said the meanest thing about me." "You can't take her serious," Malfoy replied looking down at Ginny with a strange look in his eyes. It seemed almost one of comfort, if a Malfoy's eyes could ever give comfort. "She is, after all, only a Weasley." "But what about what she did to your father," Pansy asked stomping her foot. Draco's eyes flashed. "You leave my father out of this," he snapped. "I'm sorry, Drakey," Pansy cooed, wrapping her arm around his. "It's only, I missed you. You didn't write all summer and I couldn't find you when we were all boarding. Where were you?" Malfoy's arm seemed to tense, though his face remained expressionless. "I was already sitting with Crabbe, Goyle, and Blaise," he told her. "This is all fascinating, I assure you," said Ginny annoyed. "But can you move so I can go on?" This seemed to bring the two lovebirds from their reverie. "Why, Weasley," Malfoy drawled. "Are we not worthy of your company?" Pansy smirked at Ginny as Malfoy now circled slowly. Somehow, Ginny realized, his circling seemed far more interesting. More exciting. More enticing. She shook herself mentally. "Not really, Malfoy," she replied calmly. "Let's turn her into a toad," giggled one of Pansy's friends. "Too late," replied Pansy with a giggle. "She already is one." "Then let's give her hives and boils," snickered another. "Or make her hair stand on end," twittered another. Malfoy looked at the girls with a look of disgust on his face and Ginny felt a momentary rush of respect for the poor boy that had to live so close to these girls. Pansy, as if sensing this rush stepped forward. "Lets let her go on her way." Everyone turned to Pansy in shock. "But Pansy," whined her friend from the compartment, but Pansy held up her hand. "What do you think, Draco," Pansy asked. She looked up at Draco and batted her eyelashes. "Whatever suits you," he said with a shrug. "I'm bored of this game." He walked casually back down to his compartment and into it, closing the door behind him. Pansy pouted for a moment and turned to her friends. "What was wrong with him," she asked in a whine. Ginny, sensing the moment to move quietly, crept down the hall, taking out her wand to jinx Pansy. But just as she was deciding what jinx to use, she felt a tug on her cloak and she was pulled backward, out of the Slytherin compartments, and under a silver cloak, invisible to the eye.
"Ginny, what are you doing," asked Harry's voice. "Well, I was about to jinx Parkinson. But nice to see you too," Ginny replied with a smile. Harry smiled. "I mean what were you doing in those compartments," he asked. "Your as bad as Ron," she tutted. "I was going back to see you." Harry looked at her with raised eyebrows and she quickly added "guys. Where are Hermione and Ron anyways?" "Arguing I think. Or playing cards. One or the other," Harry replied. "Not snogging," Ginny asked with a giggle. "Maybe someday when they are all grown up," Harry replied with a laugh. "Well what are you doing here," asked Ginny, pulling off the invisibility cloak so she could breathe more freely. Harry followed suit and they sat down in the hallway. "I was going to spy on Malfoy and see what he was up to," said Harry, messing up his already messy raven hair with his hand. "Oh," Ginny said trying not to let her smile falter. "Well, don't let me stop you." She began to stand but Harry grabbed her wrist. "I mean, I would rather do this instead," he said hastily. She sat back down and noticed that he held her wrist for a moment longer then necessary. She felt her cheeks heat as he dropped her wrist quickly, looking away embarrassed. "What were you hoping to find out anyway," she asked curiously. "If Malfoy was a deatheater or not," Harry said with a sheepish grin. "And I needed something to get away from Hermione and Ron. Sometimes their banter is just ridiculous." "Sometimes," Ginny asked raising an eyebrow with a smirk. "All right, all the time," Harry conceded. "Why were you headed back to see us? Is something wrong?" Ginny took a moment to appreciate his concerned look before replying "no. I just wanted to see if you'd like to play some wizard chess. We can go into Neville's compartment." He seemed to think for a moment before agreeing and they stood and moved to the compartment nearby where Neville greeted them cheerfully.
"So what, do all Weasley's know how to play chess or something," Harry asked jokingly. Ginny moved her bishop forward thoughtfully. "Basically. I happen to be better than Fred and George because Ron always made me play with him." Harry moved his rook forward. "That sounds terrible," he said looking at her. She could see his gaze out of the corner of her eye as she watched the board curiously. He seemed to be debating about something. She looked up. "Something wrong," she asked. His arm moved up but then there was a snore and they both turned to the corner where Neville sat sound asleep, snoring. They looked at each other and grinned at the sounds Neville was making. "Well, I reckon I'll be beat by you as well," Harry said casually, moving a pawn forward. "Is that legal," she asked jokingly. "Beating your captain, I mean." "I suppose it must be. After all, I'd beat you at quidditch any day." Ginny paused in moving her queen. "Excuse me," she asked with a mock glare on her face. Harry looked at her, smile faltering. "Well," he said unsure then before. "I think I could out fly you," Ginny replied. "I think I could out spell you," Harry countered. "Like a spelling bee," Ginny asked with a smirk. "A spelling bee or a jinx off," Harry replied. "I'm just that flexible." Ginny let out a laugh, but turned it into a quiet chuckle at Neville's sleepy noise of protest. "I feel sort of bad distracting him from his sleep," Ginny whispered with a smile. "Shall we relocate?" Harry stood. "I suppose so. What shall we do," asked Ginny. Harry looked at her with a devious glint in his eye. "Well, I do have this dungbomb," he said hesitantly. Ginny grinned. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking," asked Ginny. "Slytherins," replied Harry. "Parkinson," agreed Ginny. Ginny pulled out her wand and muttered a spell. One that would make the dungbomb stick to a radius of two feet around Pansy Parkinson at all times. Close enough to get the stench on her to last a week, but far enough so she didn't get hurt. Then Harry, pulling out his own wand lit it. Ginny opened the door quietly and after Harry tossed it into the Slytherin compartment, shut it quickly with a bang. Harry threw the cloak over them both as they peered into the compartment.
Someone shouted and pointed at the lit dungbomb. There was a scream from Pansy's compartment as all the girls rushed out. Every Slytherin went out into the hall to see what the commotion was and when they saw the dungbomb following Pansy, they quickly retreated back into their compartments, closing and locking the girl out. She seemed to be throwing a tantrum. With a wave of Harry's wand, all doors unlocked and flew open just as the dung bomb set off. Screams and moans of disgust and horror filled the train and Ginny pulled Harry back against the wall as the door opened and Slytherins came rushing out, coughing and gasping for breathe. Ginny stifled her giggle as an enraged Pansy Parkinson stomped out and looked around. When she saw no one, she turned and retreated back into the smelly compartment, leaving her stench to linger. Harry and Ginny looked at each other before bursting into laughter. They could not stop. First they were just laughing at the prank, but then Ginny noticed how funny Harry looked when he laughed and that made her laugh harder. Then, she saw that Harry was laughing so hard he had tears in his eyes and it was as if she couldn't stop. Like someone had put a tickling charm on her. Finally, after a good ten minutes, they regained themselves enough to realize they were still against the wall, only they had slid down to sit because of the laughter. However, Ginny's arm still lay across Harry as it had when she pulled him against the wall. And Harry's hand still held Ginny's shoulder. They looked at each other for a moment, neither one saying a word. Then Harry's hand moved slowly from her shoulder to her cheek, softly brushing the hair away from it, letting his hand rest in its place. She looked at him with a half smile. His green eyes seemed to dance with laughter. "Harry, I" she began softly, leaning forward. She began to close her eyes as he leaned towards her and she felt the cloak slip off of her, though she didn't care. That is until she was just inches away from Harry's lips and felt a tug on her robes and an excite call of "Ginny!"
Ginny looked down to see nothing, though she knew Harry Potter was sitting there silently looking up at her with laughter and annoyance written on his face. The moment killer was none other than Ron Weasley. Hermione stood behind him shaking her head at the redheaded boy. "Where have you been all trip," Ron asked his little sister, not noticing her pink cheeks and angry eyes. "I've been looking for you. Well, not really, but it's good to see you." Ginny rolled her eyes. "Boy do you have timing," she muttered, giving a sideways glance to the empty spot. "Have you seen Harry, we're looking for him," Ron said, not listening to his sister. Ginny shrugged but Harry appeared from nothing behind Hermione. "Here I am Ron, what's up?" "The carts coming and me and Hermione were worried you'd gone off to spy on Slytherins of something," Ron told him. "Those two things have nothing to do with one another," Ginny told him sourly. She felt like a child on Christmas who thought she was getting a pony only to find she is given socks. Ron shrugged nonchalantly. "They are equally important." "Spy on Slytherins," Harry said with an over exaggerated calm. "Do I ever do that?" Ron laughed and patted Harry on the back, moving him back to their compartment. "See ya, Gin," Ron called behind them. Harry looked back, straightening his glasses with an apologetic look. His cheeks were still pink from before. "I'm so sorry, Ginny," said Hermione's voice. "I tried to get him to stay put for awhile after I heard you and Harry laughing, but he wouldn't listen." Hermione seemed truly apologetic. She would get me the pony instead of the socks, Ginny thought with a smile. "It's nothing. Everything was fine," Ginny replied. "We only pranked the Slytherins. I think I'll go sit with Neville for a bit. See you later Hermione." Hermione patted her back solemnly and turned to go to follow Ron and Harry. Ginny sat down next to the snoring Neville, who had at some mysterious point been joined by Luna Lovegood. "Where have you been," Luna asked dreamily. "Just around," Ginny replied. "Have you seen the Snevals," Luna asked, holding up her latest copy of the Quibbler with a cover picture of a vicious looking animal. "They are terribly violent. They pop up at the most inconvenient times you know." "How do they know when to pop up," asked Ginny, looking at the picture of the creature again and noticing, with surprise, that they did not have red hair and a home made Weasley sweater with the letter R on it. "They watch over you, like a guardian Angel. Or Harry Potter." Ginny looked at her with a strange look. "Harry Potter is a Sneval," Ginny asked skeptically. "No," Luna replied turning the page and turning the magazine sideways. "But he does watch over you, doesn't he." Ginny smiled at the blonde girl, who did not notice, then leaned back and felt herself drifting off to sleep.