Chapter One: The Train Ride of Discomfiture
The Hogwarts Express never seemed so cold and lonely before. Ginny sat in a compartment all by herself, gazing out of the window, but not really seeing the platform outside with all the hustle and bustle of students eagerly, but nonetheless downtrodden, clamoring to get aboard. With Professor Dumbledore's funeral just days before, the entire student body was understandably a bit less enthusiastic about returning home, even if it was about two months before the normal end of term.
She couldn't say she blamed any of them, really, a few more months of summer wasn't on her list of things to look forward to. In fact, Ginny was sort of dreading it, what with Bill and Fleur's coming wedding. Of course, it wasn't so much Phlegm — Fleur, Ginny corrected herself with a half-hearted snort — that she was dreading anymore, as she more than proved herself worthy of Bill the last time she'd seen her in the hospital wing just after the battle… But, instead it was the agonizing wait of seeing Harry again whilst putting up with her mum's demanding disposition over the small, minute details of the wedding that was being held in the backyard of the Burrow.
Ginny could just hear her screeches now, "Change the sheets, Ginny! Company is coming in just three days!" or "Hop to it, dear, we don't have much time to set these up!" and Ginny's personal favorite line, "Oh! What will I make for dinner next week? I've got to write out a menu!" Wincing to herself, Ginny turned her attention towards the sliding door of her compartment, hearing voices coming steadily closer…
"Oh, honestly, Ronald!" a very familiar, haughty voice sounded rather loudly. "You'd think that at a time like this you'd be thinking of something other than food! We haven't been on the train for more than five minutes, and I'm already sick of hearing you whine after the trolley lady!" Didn't Hermione realize just how loudly she — erm, scolded sometimes?
"Well, sorry for being a perfectly NORMAL growing boy, Hermione!" her brother's deep voice sounded.
The footsteps were coming closer, and she willed them not to stop. Honestly, she didn't know if it would be able to sit peacefully in a compartment with not only her idiotic brother, Ron, and his soon-to-be snog buddy (She didn't doubt it would happen very soon, it was a long time coming — and she had some big money riding on it), but also Harry. And even if she hadn't heard his wonderfully deep voice, Ginny knew that he could be found wherever the other two members of the 'Golden Trio' (as Fred and George had jokingly dubbed them) happened to be. Where one or two were, the third was never very far behind.
And so Ginny waited anxiously as they came painstakingly closer, and averted her eyes away from the half-open sliding door. "Oh, err — Hermione," his voice finally said. "I don't think… uh—"
"Oh, don't be silly, Harry," Hermione said, and Ginny could picture her rolling her large chocolate brown eyes, her bushy hair swaying every which way. "Its just Ginny."
Still her heart stopped. Yes, she was just Ginny — little, ickle Ginny Weasley — and it stung that he didn't want to sit in a compartment with her, though she had been just thinking the same thing. It hadn't been a proper breakup, the kind where they both hated each other or whatever. They had parted on good terms, so why should they be acting this way? It made her clench her teeth in sudden anger at the situation.
Stupid, bloody dark lords - they had to ruin everything, didn't they? "Must be part of their job description…" Ginny grumbled to herself.
"Oh, erm… well, I think—"
"Just shut up, Harry," Ron said, as if he found the whole situation mildly amusing.
Hermione pushed open the door, carrying Crookshanks's carriage and plopped down across from her, smiling. "Hi, Ginny," she said pleasantly.
"Er, hi," Ginny answered, as Ron lumbered in, struggling with the burden of his trunk and Pigwidgeon's cage, along with Hermione's, who obviously had shoved it into his arms before she stormed my compartment.
"I hope you don't mind, Ginny," Hermione said, looking pointedly at Harry, who in turn seemed to suddenly find his old trainers very interesting and his cheeks darkened for a second as he fiddled with Hedwig's cage.
"Not at all," Ginny deadpanned, raising her eyebrows and sitting back on the bench. But inside she was nervous as hell. She couldn't say why exactly, just that her palms had started to sweat and the side of her nose itch. She shifted awkwardly, her face pinking slightly. "Not at all."
"Er, great!" Hermione said, her face suddenly lighting up in an overly cheerful smile. "Erm, are you reading that, Ginny?" she asked, pointing to the Daily Prophet that Ginny had thrown on the seat upon entering, and forgotten about.
"Oh, uh - no… Go ahead and take it. It's a bunch of rubbish anyway," Ginny complained, glaring slightly at the offending paper, before shoving it into Hermione's hand. Meanwhile, Ron had sat on the bench next to Hermione, sprawling out as if he were about to take a nap, leaving Harry to take the seat next to her.
"Yes, well, it would be, wouldn't it?" Hermione asked, and her eyebrows rose slightly as her eyes moved along the lines. Meanwhile, Harry awkwardly sat as far away from Ginny as he could get. "Most things are these days."
"Why do you read it then?" Ron demanded sounding exasperated. "If it's rubbish, I mean."
Hermione huffed. "Ronald, did you even listen to me at all this past year? Or were you too busy thrashing about with Lav-Lav? We've had this same conversation about eleven different times now!"
"Well, let's have it one more time," Ron told her in a snippy voice, his ears turning red, probably smarting from the 'Lav-Lav' comment. "Just tell me again."
"If you'd have listened the first time, I wouldn't have to! But as always, you have the emotional range of a teaspoon and an attention span to match!" Hermione shot back, her voice rising what seemed to be twelve octaves.
Ginny sighed loudly, sharing a knowing, somewhat amused look with Harry before both of them seemed to remember they were supposed to be feeling awkward. They quickly looked away.
Oh well, Ginny thought sarcastically, as her brother started shouting, making her wince. Only about five more hours to go... Yay.
AN: Hi everyone, my name is Ella, and this is my story Strong Enough. I hope you guys liked chapter one! Please, please review. I'd really love that! Let me know your thoughts, even if its just 'kutgw' or something simple like that! Thanks. - Ella