Chapter 1: Harry Potter, Boy Who Lived

"Ron, you must tell me more about him!" said Ginny earnestly, tailing Ron for the… hundredth time this past week (or so it seemed to Ron).

"Ginny," said Ron, more then a trace of annoyance etched in his voice. "I've already told you everything I know about him!"

Ginny, frowning, followed Ron up to his room, where he turned to face her with an annoyed, exasperated expression on his face. "What, Ginny?"

Ginny pushed pass Ron into his room (he sighed deeply) and then perched herself on the edge of his bed. "Tell me once more, Ron, please!" Ginny pleaded, giving her best sad expression.

"Oh, fine, all right," said Ron, with a mock expression of pain on his face. "Well, he's got green eyes like his mum and black hair that never really goes straight – sort of sticks up in the back, doesn't lie flat, maybe he could use a potion to make it straight, you reckon? – Well, anyway, and he's got these really round glasses, you know, bit bigger then his eyes. Looks a lot like his dad, they say. He's really brave too, Ginny. You should've seen him down there in school, you know. Hermione told me that he made her go back to me, and that he went and battled You-Know-Who, again, for the second time, all by himself. And You-Know-Who couldn't touch him, couldn't lay a hand on him. So Harry, barely, succeeded in surviving."

"Barely?" said Ginny, eyes wide. "I can't believe it! Again! Wow, Harry's really brave…"

"Yeah, Ginny, he is," said Ron. "Now why don't you go ask Percy about him instead – bit of an irritable git, but, he'll listen to you – don't bother Fred and George, though."

"Why?" asked Ginny curiously, not really paying attention, her mind still wandering, thinking about Harry.

He has the most awesome eyes.

Green, like his mum's.

They look like jewels…

"Ginny?" roared Ron. "Will you please listen to me and leave my room?"

Ginny, putting on her hurt expression left Ron's room giggling to join her mother.

"Hi, Mum!" she greeted cheerfully, watching as her mother flicked her wand, causing a sponge to rub really hard against the plate to get off the sticky bits.

"Hello, Ginny," said Ginny's mother, Molly Weasley.

Ginny wondered whether or not Harry would be staying for the summer. Over the school year, she'd been really bored, without Ron. She'd never admit it to him, but she had been. And he had sent those letters about Harry, about how he was really brave, but he was starting to get a bit antsy, and all the odd things happening at Hogwarts, and how he had two amazing best friends, Hermione Granger and Harry Potter –

"Ginny, are you thinking about Harry Potter again?" asked Molly with an expression of deep disbelief on her weary, tired looking face.

Ginny said nothing but grinned widely at her mum. "Ron's getting annoyed of me, I reckon – kicked me out, told me not to bother Fred or George - "

"Why would he tell you not to bother Fred or George? Doesn't he usually tell you to go bother Fred or George?"

"Well, yeah, usually, but I think he wanted me to go bug the git of a Prefect Percy - "

"Ginny, don't say that about your brother!" snapped Molly. "I know he gets a bit over the top with this Prefect business, but it's a good thing, Ginny. You should be encouraging being a Prefect, it's good to be one - "

"Yes, Fred, I just can't wait to go shine my Prefect's badge…" said George mockingly, coming into the room closely followed by his twin brother, George.

"I know, George, it's just going to look magnificent against my robes…" said Fred, and they both received a glare from their mother.

"If you two became serious for once, maybe soon you will have Prefect's badges to shine!" and she stormed away angrily, leaving Ginny staring away dreamily out the window.

"Dreaming about Harry Potter again, eh, Ginny?" said Fred, swooping down upon Ginny so his mouth was right next to her ear. Yes, she had been thinking about him. In fact, she couldn't stop thinking about him, no matter how hard she tried! Ron knew him, he could come stay! How could she stop thinking about that, when he could be here? She could meet him…

"Apparently so, Fred…" said George, swinging his hand in front of Ginny's face. She immediately snapped her face towards them, her jaw set in a look worthy of Mrs. Weasley.

"Leave me alone," she said.

Fred and George grinned as she grumpily got off her chair. "Oh, Harry, I love you!" said George, giggling, a hand over his heart before he threw his extra arm around Fred and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Ginny had had enough. A pit of anger growing in her stomach, she stormed out of the house, making as much noise as she could ("Stop it, if my badge falls one more time off this desk one more time there's going to be a permanent dent!" yelled Percy).

"Don't let them get to you," said Mr. Weasley, who was outside observing the garden gnomes over his cup of tea.

Ginny said nothing but sat down next her father on the ground, and watched a rather squat chubby little gnome start beating an even smaller one on the top of the head with a stick.

"Quite violent, aren't they?" said Ginny amusedly, wondering if she should go into it and take away the stick.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, yeah, they are," said Arthur Weasley. "Imagine being beat over the head by a stick…" Although he seemed to find this funny, Ginny was not as moved to laugh.

"I think I'm going to go to bed," said Ginny, feeling down.

"Oh, right, right, it is getting late," said Arthur, watching the gnomes carefully, a smile tugging at his lips.

Arthur, apparently, had not been paying attention at all, for it was only seven o'clock, and her bedtime wasn't till eight. But, instead of not going to her room, Ginny climbed to the third landing and dressed in her night clothes. Lying down, her last thought was about Harry, and wondering if she'd ever meet him…

"YOU COULD HAVE DIED!"

What a pleasant wake-up call… thought Ginny as she grumpily sat up, thinking about who on earth could have died.

Had anyone died? Lost in her thoughts, Ginny barely heard the call of "Breakfast!". Heading down to the breakfast table, she thought about how sleepy she was, and the person that was nearly dead. Hmm. She wondered who'd nearly died. Maybe it had been Dad… He worked at the Ministry of Magic, after all. Or Fred and George, they did like to experiment, didn't they? Or maybe Percy had thrown his Prefect's badge out the window and tried to jump out after it.

"Who…?" she began, but she was stopped.

Sitting there, at her very own kitchen table, sitting in front of her… At her own kitchen table…

Was the very same boy with green eyes and black hair, who grinned at her.

She could feel herself turning red. He couldn't see her embarrassed! She raced out of the room as fast as she could, but before she got far enough away, she heard Ron say, "Ginny… She's been talking about you all summer…"

Prickles of tears burned her eyes as she raced up to her room.

He must think I'm so stupid…

Bright red blundering idiot in front of him…

Could've had a bit more control of myself…

But I wasn't prepared! I never would have known that he'd be here, it was unexpected! Even Mum and Dad didn't know!

Yes. Yes, that's right.

Too soon, she heard footsteps distantly up the hall. Praying it not to be Fred and George (was it them Mum was yelling about downstairs?) she opened the door slightly to peek out.

Ron and Harry were walking up the stairs. Her heart slowed in her chest… And then Harry looked right at her.

Uh-oh.

She slammed the door closed, her heart beating rapidly now.

She pressed her ear against the door to hear what they were saying. Ron, muttering, said quite clearly, "Ginny. You don't know how weird it is for her to be quiet. She never shuts up normally…"

But Ginny didn't want to hear any more. She'd never had a worse first meeting ever before in her life.

Hope you enjoyed that! This is just a bit, it's following Ginny through her first year of Hogwarts (hence the name). Please review and tell me what you think! Thanks! )