Professor Potter
Chapter One
Ginny Weasley sat looking out the window of her bedroom at the Burrow, watching the Golden Sunset over the hills. A sigh spilled from her lips, expressing her knowledge that summer was nearly over, and that each sunset would bring her closer to King's Cross Station, where she would set off to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for the last time. Ginny yawned and pulled the drapes closed. She took off her dressing gown and slid into bed.
As she stared at the winking stars on her enchanted ceiling, she thought about how quickly the summer had flown by. It had been busy, with everyone trying to recover and pick up the pieces of what had happened at the end of last term. She wiped a tear from her eye as she glared at the picture of Fred on her nightstand, laughing and climbing on top of George. Ginny was reminded of her loss of Fred countless times throughout the day. She had always thought of herself as a girl with six brothers, and now that Fred was gone she didn't feel quite complete. She knew that the rest of her family felt the same.
"This past year has been the craziest year of my life", she thought, snuggling under the covers. Perhaps now her life would settle down, now that Voldemort had been defeated. She glanced over at Hermione's sleeping form. This year was going to be different. Ginny was now the last Weasley at Hogwarts. She was to be Quidditch captain, and was hoping to get a prefects badge in her last owl from the school before the start of term. That, along with the owls she had received from Colin and Luna begging her to continue on as leader of the DA, a task she didn't feel quite up for. Ginny had been able to create quite a storm with her efforts for the DA, and every one knew her actions had greatly benefited their side, but the DA had always been Harry's.
Ginny closed her eyes at this thought. Yes, Hogwarts would certainly be different this year. She would finally be able to spread her winds and make her own mark on the school. And, now that she didn't have her older brothers watching her every move, maybe she'd finally be able to have a boyfriend without Ron breathing down her neck and owling Mum every five minutes. "Sigh….Maybe this year won't be as bad as I thought. Maybe this is exactly what I need. I'll be in an unplottable castle surrounded by a lake, away from brothers, away from Mum, and a thousand miles away from Harry Potter", she whispered, as she drifted off to sleep.
Across the hall, Harry James Potter lay in his bed, pretending to sleep. He was avoiding Ron, who had been after him all evening to eat a suspicious looking lavender "cupcake" of questionable origin. Harry's instinct told him it was probably a new product from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Ron had obviously matured so much this year. Deciding that had did not really feel like vomiting up animals and he quite liked his hair the color it was, he nipped off to bed. He wasn't tired, but he put out the light with his wand. The moonlight peered in softly from the open window, and rested on a moving photograph in a gold frame on his nightstand. Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and his own face smiled back at him, and waved through the frame. The picture of the foursome had been taken earlier that summer.
"Ahh, Summer at the Burrow". After everything that had happened to him over the past year, it was so nice just to be able to relax for once. Now that Voldemort had been defeated, he felt as if he could finally get on with his life, free of the burden he had carried since he was a year old. Now that his newfound freedom hadn't come with a cost, however. Now that Dumbledore was gone, he felt as if he had lost yet another parent. Harry had spent the first few weeks of summer really depressed about everything, unable to escape the death and destruction he had experienced. Harry had felt a lifetime of grief. If he hadn't stayed at the burrow, he didn't know what he would have done.
Taking his eyes away from the photo, he silently thanked Ron, Hermione, and Ginny for keeping him in good spirits, He'd had a fantastic summer, all things considered, living with the Weasley's at the Burrow. It had been hard on everyone, trying to find their places in a Voldemort-free world, but at least they were all in it together. George was not himself after Fred's death, but he had recommitted himself full force to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, knowing that it was what Fred would have wanted. Bill and Charlie were at Hogwarts, heading up the repairs. They came home every week or so to give the family updates. Harry thought they must be almost finished. That would be good, as Ginny would be going back to the castle the next week.
Harry couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of guilt when he thought about the damage to the school and the grounds, thinking that so much of it had been because of him. He had really wanted to help with the repairs, along with Ron and Hermione, but Mr. and Mrs. Weasley insisted loudly that they had "done quite enough, thank you", and refused to let them anywhere near the place.
Perhaps that was for the best. Hogwarts had been Harry's home for the last six years, but with Dumbledore and his friends gone he didn't know if it would ever be the same. Hermione, Harry and Ron had all received letters early in the summer from Professor McGonagall, the new headmistress, giving them their leaving papers, saying that their exploits over the last year had more than qualified them to graduate he school. Harry had wanted to go back with Bill and Charlie to check out the castle but they had just looked at each other and said that he would "see it soon enough". Harry wondered what that had meant, but he decided he wouldn't waste any more thought on it.
There were a lot of things Harry didn't want to waste time on. He had spent his whole life battling a dark wizard, and he was ready to move on and start living it. He was starting a new chapter in his life, with his friends close by him, and in only three days he and Ron would begin their Auror training at the new Ministry, and Kingsley Shacklebolt, the new Minister of Magic, was going to train them personally. Hermione was beginning a program at St. Mungo's to train to be a healer, so she would be in London as well, so Harry expected they would all have a brilliant time. It would be nice to have the old gang all together again, thought Harry, except for Ginny of course, but Harry was sure she'd have a fantastic time at Hogwarts, especially being Quidditch captain, and he wouldn't be surprised if she nabbed Head Girl as well.
Thinking of the energetic redhead made him smile. He was disappointed that they hadn't really spoken alone all summer. The foursome always hung out together, sometimes accompanied by Neville, Luna, and George, or the girls went off and did their own thing when Harry was with Ron, but he hadn't had a chance to be alone with Ginny. Harry had had some feelings for Ginny last year, and he knew she use to fancy him, but she had had plenty of boyfriends since then, and he was sure she had enough on her mind with the start of term so fast approaching. He thought the change would be good for the both of them, a chance to start over fresh. Harry finally drifted off to sleep, trying to push a certain redhead out of his mind…