Disclaimer: All people, places, and everything else are owned by J. K. Rowling. Any exceptions will be noted up at the top of each chapter. I own Samantha White, Tula Maine, and Qwain Rogers.
Authors Note: This is my very first fanfiction. Well...that I have wanted to share. I have others but they will be left to collect dust beneath my bed. ;) I would appreciate reviews greatly...Like, a ton. And sorry for the short chapter, don't worry, they will get longer.
Rating: M for language, and in later chapters explicit content. Chapters will be clearly marked.
Hopping on the train as the horn blew, Ginny Weasley waved back at her parents as they got smaller and smaller, and the Hogwarts Express pulled farther and farther away from the platform nine and three-quarters.
Straight red hair reaching towards her waist was pulled back from her face with two clips, swinging gently around her slim figure as she walked. She hadn't grown much over the summer, but was a solid five feet, three inches.
"Hey Ginny!" Harry called as he pushed passed her to reach into a compartment behind her.
"Hey," she called back, pushing her bags into a shelf, and picking up her cat as she finished and moving down the narrow passage to enter a compartment shared with Luna and Neville. She hadn't seen her Gryffindor friends from her own year yet.
As she moved next to Neville, a hand wrapped around the back of her neck. Neither Neville nor Luna had moved. She started to scream, but couldn't open her mouth. A narrow droplet of sweat escaped her forehead as a tight feeling of being trapped registered. Finally Luna looked up at Ginny, but it was too late. Darkness was closing in on her.
She woke up, sweating feverishly as she panted, sinking back into bed. Tula, Sammy, and other Gryffindors in her year lay asleep. One was snoring softly.
She stared at the ceiling, slowing her breath as she quietly reminded herself that the ride to Hogwarts had been uneventful, if not out right boring. She had sat with Neville and Luna, chatting about the summer, and when she had reached Hogwarts she had a filling dinner and later slipped into the soft blue Pajamas she was wearing still, to go to bed, her small tabby cat perched happily near her feet.
Her stomach rumbled. That could have been what woke her. She was hungry and couldn't ever go to sleep on an empty stomach. She slipped out of the bed and softly landed on the floor, padding down the stairs to go out the portrait of the Fat Lady covering the entrance to the Gryffindor common room.
"What damn time are you waking me up at headmaster?" Murmered the Fat lady sleepily before she noticed it was a student. Ginny put a finger to her lips and closed the portrait.
"Won't be me you'll be in trouble with, deary!" The Fat Lady muttered before closing her eyes again.
Down in the kitchen Ginny stepped through the door immediately to have a house elf scurry over to her elbow.
"Anything Swatcher can do for you, Miss?" The house elf asked. Ginny yawned in reply.
"Maybe some oatmeal, please," She said before sinking onto a bench, and yawning once more.
"Certainly Miss! Right away, Miss! Swatcher be glad to serve you," said the house elf before rushing away. Ginny then noticed the other house elves had awakened. If Hermione found out about this, Ginny would be fried.
The small house elf appeared with a bowl of oatmeal, covered with brown sugar.
"Swatcher was glad to be of service!" He said before disappearing.
"Thanks Swatcher," Ginny managed to say to the empty space before he came back, this time with pumpkin juice.
"Thanks again," she sighed, sipping the juice and beginning to finish her oatmeal. When her stomach was quite full she slipped out again, Swatcher waving her off, but still managing to stuff a napkin full of blueberry muffins into her hands. She pushed the painting of the fruit shut and started walking toward the Gryffindor common room.
Turning a corner she tripped over someone crouching near the wall. Pale fingers reached out to cover her mouth.
"Shh! You don't want Umbridge to catch you!" Draco Malfoy hissed as he covered her with the invisibility cloak he had been using.
"…and are those blueberry?" He asked, after a pause, helping himself to a muffin from Ginny.
"What do you think you are doing?!" She hesitated, before adding, "And those are mine!"
"Too bad," he said in reply, chomping on the muffin.
"Answer the question," she hissed.
"And I'll you; hiding from Umbridge. I was using her fireplace."
"Without cover?"
"Crabbe and Goyle were hit with some type of jinx."
"Stupid twits!" Ginny took a muffin for herself.
"I'm not even sure Goyle wasn't the one to wake Umbridge," he muttered.
"Up, come on!" he said, pulling her up, "I'll help you to get to your common room if you don't mention this little jaunt to Potter. Or anyone for that matter..."
"Kay...got that..." Ginny wasn't sure she liked the idea of Malfoy helping her, but to make sure she did get to the common room without getting caught, she didn't have many choices. They moved along slowly under the cloak, eating the muffins as they went.
"Why were you up?" Malfoy asked.
"Kitchens."
"Ah –that would explain the muffins..."
Ginny didn't answer, instead taking another bite from a muffin.
"This way, right?" Malfoy nodded toward the corridor with the Fat Lady. Ginny didn't want to find out how he knew where the Gryffindor common room was.
"Yep, thanks," she whispered, slipping out from under the cloak. She turned to catch a last swish of heel as Malfoy turned away, leaving Ginny to hurry down and into the common room, back up into her dormitory and fall sleepily into bed.