Written for the "Who Done It"-Challenge
note: Thanks a lot for my two wonderful betas alicenotinwonderland and MrsBates93 who were a huge helpt to me! You two are great! :)
(I don't own Harry Potter)
It was a funny feeling to wave goodbye to Ron and Harry while the Hogwarts Express pulled out of King's Cross Station; they soon became two small figures in the distance.
Hermione was still standing at the window, staring outside, even though they had already been out of sight for a while.
"Come on," Ginny said and touched her shoulder, "Let's go and find some seats."
"I've never been on the train without them." Hermione said with a sigh and pulled her eyes away from the window.
"I know. But you can write to each other every day if you like. Besides you'll see them again at Christmas at the latest. You'll see, time will fly by." Ginny tried to cheer her up while they looked for an empty compartment.
"Well, I am looking forward to a quiet term for a change so that I can concentrate on my NEWTs," Hermione replied. "Oh look, there's Luna. Let's go and sit with her."
Ginny pushed open the compartment's door and they both sat down opposite Luna Lovegood. She was the only one in the compartment.
"Hi Luna!" they both greeted her.
"Hello Ginny and Hermione." Luna said looking up from the copy of the Quibbler she had been reading, "I didn't know that you wanted to return to Hogwarts." She looked at Hermione without blinking and obviously expected an answer.
"Well, I never had the chance to take my NEWTs last year so I want to make up for it now," Hermione replied.
"We're all in the same year now!" Ginny said and grinned at the other two.
"Oh, but they didn't make you head girl. I wonder why...A girl from my dormitory is head girl, but she doesn't like me. She thinks I'm weird. Although she acted all nice when she came in a few minutes ago. But I guess that was only because I know you and you're all famous now."
Ginny and Hermione exchanged a glance before Ginny decided to change the subject.
"So, tell us, Luna, what's going on between you and Neville?" she asked and stifled a giggle. Hermione didn't say anything but looked at Luna with interest. Ginny had filled her in about all the rumours about Luna and Neville but she still wouldn't believe a word of it until she had heard Luna or Neville admit it themselves. She knew Ginny too well to do otherwise.
Luna only looked at Ginny with a confused expression on her face. "I don't know what you mean. He's really nice of course. But you already know that, don't you?"
The rest of the journey was spent talking about boys, their holidays and school. But there was one topic they didn't talk about because they didn't want to ruin the mood.
When they reached the station in Hogsmeade and got off the train, they couldn't really avoid it any longer.
As they walked towards the carriages which would take them up to the castle Hermione suddenly stopped dead. "Now I understand what Harry meant when he said that he wished he couldn't see them," she said in a low voice, looking at a skeletal, reptilian horse.
Neither of them had actually seen any of their close friends or family die, but it still reminded them of all the losses they had suffered.
Therefore they were all quite silent while the carriages slowly moved up towards the castle.
When they finally arrived all three of them hurried up the stone steps to get into the Entrance Hall as it was already getting cold outside.
When they walked inside, Hermione looked around in surprise. The last time she had been there, everything had been destroyed. But now the castle almost looked as if it had never been touched by the destruction of the wizarding war.
Ginny and Luna looked around, too. Ginny was just about to say something when they heard a cackle behind them and suddenly Ginny's skirt was lifted.
She quickly held it down with her hand and hissed with a very red face: "Peeves!"
Before anyone could do anything, she had pulled an apple out of her pocket and thrown it at the poltergeist who was now floating in the air above her, grinning wickedly.
When the apple hit him, Peeves did some back somersaults in the air and then rushed towards Ginny, who was still glaring at him.
But before he could reach her, a strict voice called: "Peeves, as the Headmistress of Hogwarts, I order you to leave the Entrance Hall immediately," Professor McGonagall came walking down the marble staircase. Peeves didn't dare to contradict the Headmistress so he flew out of the Entrance Hall. But not without calling Ginny rude names as he left.
Ginny looked at Hermione and Luna and together they walked into the Great Hall.
