Chapter 1 The Final Trip To Hogwarts
Ginny smiled as she watched the Hogwarts Express loading up. Her last year at Hogwarts. Ron, Harry, and Hermione had all graduated the previous year. Some of the graduates had decided to stay on at the school. The war had taken a few teachers with it and no one wanted to shut down the school, so... Harry had stayed on to teach DADA and was now known as Professor Potter. Hermione had been given the position of headmistress when Mcgonagall decided that she needed a break after everything that had happened. Headmistress Granger... Wow! Draco had stayed to teach Potions. He had helped them fight the final battle, in the end taking down almost as many Death Eaters as Harry had. She still wasn't sure if she could stomach calling him Professor Malfoy though, even if the git had changed his ways. Ron had taken up the post of Quidditch coach and he couldn't have been happier. Surprisingly Neville had taken the post of teaching Herbology. Ginny knew that the students would love him.
A lot had changed in less than a year. Bill and Fleur were married now and she had decided that Fleur wasn't so bad when she had stuck with Bill through it all a few years ago. Now the two of them were expecting their first child. Gin and Fleur had spent a good bit of the summer together talking about anything and everything. Percy had started talking to the family again. The only one that would talk back though was Mrs. Weasley. Everyone else still hadn't forgiven him. Hermione and Ron were engaged and neither of them could wait to get married next summer. She and Harry however had not gotten back together. They had decided after the war that they were better friends and that they would just see what happened. Harry mostly stayed to himself nowadays. He was much more at peace though since avenging Sirius's death.
Ginny's head reeled with all that had happened. She smiled and picked up her trunk. They had all survived though. For that alone she was thankful. This was going to be a great year, she could just feel it. Since Voldemort was gone there would be a lot more freedom than there had been. She couldn't wait to get back and see all of her friends.
Gin walked along the corridor until she found an empty compartment. She put her trunk away and settled down with her smaller bag. She pulled a book out and allowed herself to be sucked into the story. When the train jolted beneath her she put the book away and picked her bag up. She made her way down the swaying train to the Heads compartment. She had been elected Head Girl and was supposed to meet the Head Boy in this cabin. When she opened the door she couldn't help but let out a squeal. Collin was standing in there waiting for her. She jumped into his arms. It was so wonderful to know that he was all right. They had been best friends for about two years now and she had freaked out all summer because she hadn't heard from him.
"Hey, Gin." Collin beamed down at her. He gave her a quick squeeze and released her.
He looked so different than he had just the year before. He had grown tall. He didn't look like the annoying little boy that he used to be. "I was so worried about you Collin. Why didn't you write back to me over the summer?" She crossed her arms over her now rather voluptuous chest, and glared at him.
Collin let out a laugh. "You look so fierce right now." he chuckled. "All right. All right." he backed up slowly with his hands raised. "I'm sorry that I didn't write you back, but I was a little busy taking care of my little brother. Remember?" Gin stared at him.
"Oh goodness! I forgot. How is he?" she asked completely forgetting her frustration with him.
"He's engaged." At the look on Gin's face he continued. "I know. He's younger than us and he's engaged. How strange, but she's a great girl. I'm happy for him. And she's helping him. Needless to say that he couldn't come back to Hogwarts, but her mum is homeschooling her so that she can be with him."
Collin's little brother had ended up with amnesia after a powerful spell had hit him during the war, and he had no idea who he was anymore. Ginny had cried for days about it. "I'm happy to hear that he's all right now." She smiled warmly up at him.
"So how was your summer?" he asked her with a slight grin. "Anything change between you and Professor Potter that I need to know about?" Collin teased her relentlessly about her relationship with Harry.
For the rest of the ride they caught up on each other's lives. Apparently they had both missed a lot during the summer. Collin was seeing a girl named Pamela who was in Hufflepuff. Ginny was shocked to hear that he had finally met someone. When she used to ask him about his love life his teasing reply was always that he was waiting for her to get over Harry. Ginny was slightly saddened that now she would be like the third wheel with Collin and his girlfriend. It occurred to her that she was one of the only single people to go back to Hogwarts this year. She had to laugh about that seeing as she had gone through her fair share of boyfriends over the past couple of years. She was actually looking forward to being single this year though, as she told Collin, when he asked her about her love life.
They shared stories for the rest of the time making each other laugh. They both felt that it was just good to be going back to Hogwarts and that they were together again. This year was going to be FABULOUS! Ginny could just feel it.
After a while Ginny looked out the window and saw her first glimpse of Hogwarts coming around the bend. She smiled. Now she really felt as though she was going home. She nudged Collin and he looked out of the window with her. "Hogwarts." Ginny let the word escape her on a sigh. "I'm going to go back to my cabin to get changed." she told Collin before slipping out of the door and heading back down the train.
Once she was back in her compartment she pulled her trunk down and changed into her Hogwarts uniform. She bent down to put on her socks when she felt as though she was being watched. She straightened quickly and turned. Draco grinned at the sight that greeted him. She had one sock on and was clutching the other in her right hand. Her bare foot tapped at the ground impatiently. Her long red curls swept across the bottom of her back and when she turned they had fallen over her chest. Her shirt was thrown on haphazardly and she had only buttoned two of the buttons, which was barely enough to cover anything. Her skirt was rather short since she had grown over the summer. Only one part of the shirt was tucked in and her tie hung loosely around her shoulders. She looked absolutely adorable.
Ginny was shocked. Draco Malfoy was standing outside of her cabin watching her. He gestured opening the door and she nodded. Draco quickly entered her cabin, then turned and pulled the blinds down. "More privacy for us." He explained at the bewilderment on Ginny's face. "I need to talk to you, Weasley. As you probably know I have been put in charge of the Heads this year. Therefore you and I will be spending much more time together. I have already had this discussion with Mr. Creevey who rudely informed me that if I so much as looked at you in the wrong way he was going to take me apart piece by piece with his bare hands."
A slow smile crossed Ginny's face as she pictured Collin saying anything like that. Yep. She could see it. She turned her attention back to Malfoy. "Well, then I guess you had better be on your best behavior. Don't you agree?" she smirked.
"I just wanted to get to know you. Seeing as we'll be spending a lot more time together I think that we should at least try to be on better terms." He sat down making himself comfortable.
Ginny figured that he wasn't leaving any time soon so she put her bare foot up on the seat opposite him and slipped on the sock that she had been holding the whole time. She pulled them both up to just below her knees as she waited for him to say something else. She turned and plopped down into the seat, grabbing her shoes and putting them on the floor in front of her. She bent over and started to put them on.
Draco lost his train of thought as he watched her. As she bent down he could see the very top of her breasts before her hair fell down to curtain her face and chest. He cleared his throat uncomfortably. He wondered why it had gotten so hot in the cabin all of a sudden. Draco slipped his finger into his collar and loosened it slightly so that he could breathe better. He cleared his throat again.
"What is it Malfoy? Do you have something in your throat?" Ginny asked sarcastically without looking up.
"No. Sorry. As I was saying, I think that we should try to get to know each other a little bit better, because of the circumstances. How about we go to Hogsmeade together in a couple of weeks. It'll be the first trip. We can get to know each other and you won't have to feel like the third wheel with Collin and his new girlfriend. I promise that if I make you uncomfortable at any point while we're there you can tell me to bugger off and I'll leave you alone. Deal?"
Ginny did look up now. "Did you ask Collin to go to Hogsmeade with you so that ya'll could get to know one another better?"
Draco looked at her oddly. "No. He isn't opening up to me all that much. I actually think that he'd like nothing more than to smother me in my sleep." Ginny giggled at that. Draco ignored her and continued. "I figured if you and I go then we can get to know each other. And, if I'm not a complete git, you can maybe convince Creevey not to kill me." Draco finished feebly. "Plus I think that we'll have fun together, you and I. Come on. Trust me on this one." He gave her his charming smirk.
"Professor." Ginny started as she buttoned her shirt the rest of the way.
"Draco" Malfoy corrected her.
Ginny looked at him pointedly. "As I was saying, Professor. You have been a complete prat to me since I came to Hogwarts. I know that you're supposedly trying to change your ways, and I think that you might actually be telling the truth about that. However, I don't really trust you. And just because I'm female don't think for one second that I'm going to swoon at your feet like all of the other girls just because you ask me to go to Hogsmeade. I'm not that easy. I mean that in both ways. I will go with you and try to get to know you better so that it will be a little more comfortable for the remainder of the year. However, I won't tell Collin anything unless I think that he needs to know it. You have to try to talk to Collin on your own. After you do talk to him, if he still feels like he wants to smother you in your sleep I won't stand in his way. Now, if that is all, Professor. I need to finish getting ready before we arrive. You know the way out I trust." Gin smirked at him before turning and packing her things away.
Draco stared at her back for a second before he turned and left. She had backbone. For the first time in seven years he realized that he had a thing for Ginny Weasley. He wasn't quite sure why. Sure she was beautiful, but he had had offers from plenty of beautiful women. It had to be the fact that she had never been afraid to tell him exactly what she thought exactly when she thought it. She wasn't worried about being politically correct or even about hurting his feelings. She was just honest, sometimes to the point of being rude, but all in all that's what he liked about her. She always stood up to him, no matter the situation. Even when she had been outnumbered in school she had still told him where to shove it. Oh yes. The trip to Hogsmeade was going to be very fun indeed.
Ginny sighed as she pulled on her blazer and tied the tie around her neck. Why had she agreed to go with him??? He was a complete git. Yet, for some reason that she wasn't sure of, she was actually looking forward to the trip. What was wrong with her? She finished packing her things again and headed into the crowded corridor ready to start her last year at Hogwarts.
A/N: OK guys. This is one of my older stories. It was posted on harrypotterfanfiction so if it looks familiar don't worry. I simply decided that since I am writing on here and haven't written on there for more than a year I should post it. It isn't finished yet but I have quite a few more chapters already written. So... if you liked it let me know by reviewing. If you didn't like it leave me a message to tell me why. I take constructive criticism really well. Just remember no flames! The sooner you all review the sooner I will update it so click the little button. (You know which one.) Can't wait to here from ya'll. Bria