The idea for this story came to me when I was at New York in the Harry Potter museum and I saw the statue of petrified Colin Creevey. Then I remembered how Ron said that Colin and Ginny would get along well, since they both stalk Harry in the second book. He even said they should start a Potter Fan Club. The more I thought of it, the more I decided that it would be fun to write a fanfic about Colin and Ginny. So, here it is. A story about Colin's first year at Hogwarts, and his crush on Ginny Weasley.
A whistle sounded from the Hogwarts Express.
"Just one picture, come on, Colin."
"No!" Colin said. "You don't understand, I'll run out of film if I take photos of you all, and I already know what my family looks like anyways."
"So?" his little brother interrupted. "You've got loads of film left, I saw you packing them into your suitcase last night."
"You were snooping!" Colin exclaimed, pointing a finger at his brother. "Mum, Dennis was peeking from behind the door again! Why won't you let me lock it?"
"Colin, that doesn't matter right now," his mother said, patting his blonde hair down on his head. "At Hogwarts, you're going to be sharing a room with somebody else, so you'll have to deal with having people looking in on your room. Now, just take a picture of us already."
"That way you'll have something to remember us by at Hogwarts," his father said. "You'll get homesick, Colin-"
"You've never been away for more than a week-"
"You can frame it and put it next to your bed-"
"I hear you can even make it move!-" his little brother piped up.
"Okay then," Colin said, grinning. His family moved together, and he snapped a photo of them. The smoke from the Hogwarts Express got in the way a bit, but he could still make out his family member's faces. "I don't know how I'll have it developed, though."
"Don't worry, I'm sure the people at Hogwarts will be able to do it with magic or something," his father said.
"Now don't forget to write," his mother added. "And remember to brush your teeth every morning and evening! And-"
The rest of her frantic reminders were cut off by the Hogwarts's Express's deep whistle, and Colin started to move forward to board the train.
"Love you!" his mother shouted over the noise, and Colin replied with a smile and a wave. He stepped up onto the train, pulling his heavy suitcase up with him, and he started walking down the aisle, holding his camera in one hand, and lugging along his suitcase with the other.
His head was swiveling from one side to the other: he was looking for something, or, to be more specific, someone. Finally, he reached the end of the train, where all he saw were some older students laughing over a vulgar joke. No Harry Potter. Maybe the Boy Who Lived just hadn't gotten on the train yet. Maybe-
Before he could finish his thought, the train sounded another low whistle, and it had started moving, pulling out of the station. There was no doubt about it. Harry Potter wasn't on the train.
"If you're looking for somewhere to sit, there's a spot right here," a voice said softly. Colin turned around to see a small girl, with large eyes and dirty blonde hair.
"Oh," Colin said, surprised. He hadn't even noticed the girl was there. "Thanks," he said, beginning to sit down across from her.
"No, somebody's already sitting there," the girl said suddenly. "But she left to go looking for somebody. Her brother, I think. Ronald…"
"Um, my name's Colin, not Ronald," Colin said.
"No, that was her brother's name," the girl explained in her soft, calm voice.
"Oh, okay," Colin said, sitting down next to the girl, and putting his camera between them. They sat there for a while, jostling as the train trekked along, then, the girl suddenly held out her hand and said, "Hello, Colin. My name's Luna."
"Er, nice to meet you, Luna," Colin said, shaking her hand. Luna didn't have much of a handshake: he did all the shaking, and her hand remained rather limp. "Are you a first year, too?"
Luna nodded. "I'm trying to decide which house I'd like to be placed in. My daddy was placed in Ravenclaw, but he said that the Sorting Hat considered putting him in Hufflepuff. That's where the extras go. Hufflepuff," she said, twirling her hair aimlessly. "I bet I'm placed in Hufflepuff," she added.
"Have you seen Harry Potter around here?" Colin asked.
"No," Luna said. "But here she comes now."
Colin was about to tell Luna that Harry Potter was a boy's name, but then he realized that she wasn't talking about Harry. A short, redheaded girl was walking down the aisle. She sat down across from Colin and Luna, saying, "He's not here, anywhere. I looked through all the seats, but Ron's not on the train, and I need to find him, because I think he accidentally packed my books into his suitcase." Suddenly she noticed Colin. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm Ginny," she said.
"Colin." Colin said. "I mean, that's my name," he added. "It's Colin." his ears went a little red.
"Nice to meet you," she said. "Actually, I couldn't find Ron or Harry anywhere," she added to Luna.
This captured Colin's attention. "You mean, Harry Potter?" he asked. "You were looking for Harry Potter?"
Now it was Ginny's turn to act embarrassed. "Well, you see, he and my brother are really good friends, so, that's the only reason. I thought, you know, if I found him I might find Ron." She suddenly seemed very interested in her knees, as she took to staring at them.
Puzzled, Colin looked over at Luna, but she just shrugged.
"Um, would you two mind if I took a picture of you?" Colin asked, taking out his camera. "I'm thinking of making a collage or something to send back home to my parents, so they can see everybody I've met and everything I've done while I'm at Hogwarts. I'm hoping one of the professors will teach me how to make it move."
"So, you're a Muggleborn, then?" Luna asked.
Ginny saw the blank expression on Colin's face and explained to him, "Muggleborns are wizards with Muggle, or non-magical parents. It really doesn't matter, though. Ron says that the smartest witch in his class is Muggleborn. And sure, I'll be in the photo."
"My daddy says that it's best not to partake in photographs in the afternoon," Luna said. "It angers the Willentresses."
Puzzled, Colin looked over at Ginny, but she just shrugged.
"Okay, then, you don't have to be in the picture if you don't want to," Colin said. "Slide over a little," he said to Ginny, looking at her through the camera lens. "Don't want there to be too much light behind you. Perfect." He snapped a photo. "Are you sure you don't want your picture taken, too?" he asked Luna.
"I'd rather not suffer the wrath of the Willentresses," was her tranquil reply.
Next chapter coming up soon! Constructive criticism is appreciated.