A Very Special Day: Attending Hogwarts
Ginny Weasley awoke slowly at first but when her eyes took in the unfamiliar hangings around her bed, she sat up with a shot, her eyes wide as she remembered all that had happened the previous day.
How sad she and her best friend Harry had been as he was scheduled to start Hogwarts and she wasn't until the next year.
Then somehow she'd ended up on the Hogwarts Express after it had already left and once they had gotten to Hogwarts how it had been decided that she would stay and start school this year instead of waiting until she turned eleven.
The topper of the day had been when she had been sorted. Sure she ended up in Gryffindor like almost every Weasley before her (there was that one that ended up in Hufflepuff but no one talked about him much). No it was the conversation she'd had with the Sorting Hat that had made her day.
It had known about her growing special connection to Harry and told her that he needed her, as if she hadn't known that already. After all she was the seventh child and the first girl born in seven generations. That alone told her and the world she was going to be an exceptional witch.
And Harry was going to need a special witch in his life because he wasn't just any old Harry, no he was Harry Potter, the Saviour of the Wizarding World at the young age of fifteen months.
There were those who believed that the evil, dark wizard that Harry had defeated was gone for good, but Ginny knew in her heart that that wasn't true and one day that evil wizard would return and come looking to avenge his defeat.
Harry would need someone by his side to strengthen and support him, someone who wouldn't falter and would be there for him no matter what and she knew in her heart that she was the one destined to be that someone.
Feeling energized, Ginny bound out of bed and started to get ready for the day. Fortunately she still had the set of robes that Harry had given her and their Head of House, Professor McGonagall, had transformed them so that they fit her perfectly.
She went to her trunk to get the rest of her clothing. Like virtually everything that she and her brothers owned, it was a hand-me-down. It did have her initials inlaid on it, a beautiful scroll-work GW but that was only because she was named after her great-grand mother she had inherited the trunk from. Well almost, her great-grandmother's name had been Guinevere and her name was the Italian version, Ginevra.
Sometimes she wished that they hadn't used the Italian version. Everyone knew who Queen Guinevere was and no one knew that Ginevra was the same thing.
Pushing that thought from her mind, she finished brushing out her hair, pulled it back into a ponytail and headed for the common room. She really hoped to see Harry before she had to leave as McGonagall was meeting her at eight and taking her to Diagon Alley to meet with her parents so they could buy her school things and most importantly, her wand.
As she descended the stairs she was thrilled to see Harry sitting in one of the chairs near the fire waiting for her. She could tell by how his eyes darted to the staircase every few moments and the huge smile that broke out on his face when he spotted her that he had been waiting for her.
Before he could rise, Ginny had pelted across the common room from the girls stairs and almost knocked him down with the excitement she was feeling at being at Hogwarts with him.
"Good morning," Harry said with a laugh as he returned Ginny's hug.
It had taken a bit of doing for Ginny to get him to the point that he accepted her hugs. In the beginning he had stiffened and took a few moments before he would awkwardly return it.
It had taken almost two full weeks of him staying at the Burrow for her to finally get him to admit that he wasn't used to receiving hugs of any type, never having received any while living with his relatives.
From that point onward, Ginny had made sure he got plenty of them throughout the day and it was obvious that now he looked forward to receiving one from her. He still flinched whenever her Mum went to hug him but Ginny thought that was only natural as no one hugged as hard as her mother did. Even Charlie, who was the biggest and brawniest of her brothers, still flinched when receiving one.
"Good morning to you too," Ginny replied excitedly.
"So you ready to head down to breakfast?" Harry asked with a small shy smile.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Professor McGonagall is meeting me in a few minutes to take me to Diagon Alley to get my school things," Ginny said tentatively.
She cringed when she saw the disappointment flash across Harry's face and though he tried not to show it, she knew he was upset that he had forgotten about that little fact.
He smiled quickly but Ginny could see it didn't reach his eyes and it tore at her heart that she wouldn't be able to share the first breakfast at Hogwarts with him.
"I'm sorry," he said softly, "I forgot," as he dropped his head toward the floor.
"It's okay. I sorry I can't come to breakfast with you this morning but I promise this will be the only time," Ginny replied, hoping that would cheer him up. "Plus I'll see you at lunch if not before in class."
Harry brightened at hearing that and smiled at her. "I'll make sure to save you a seat," he said a little happier.
Ginny smiled back at him. "Thanks, I'll see you as soon as I get back."
Before either could say anything else, the portrait hole opened and Professor McGonagall stepped through. "Ah, there you are, Miss Weasley. Bright and early," she said with a rare smile.
"We'll be using the Floo from the Head-Master's office and meeting your parents at the Leaky Cauldron for breakfast before shopping for your books and things. I have the required list though as often as your parents have had to shop for your bothers I'm sure they've probably memorized it by now," she explained with a touch of humour.
"I'll see you later," Ginny said, giving Harry one last hug.
McGonagall smiled at them. "Mr Potter, if you'd like you can come with us until we have to turn off on the third floor to go to the Head-Master's office. That should help keep you from getting lost." the Professor said warmly.
"Thanks, Professor," Harry replied. They'd heard last night from the upper classmen about how the staircases could shift, taking you far afield from where you wanted to go.
They descended in silence until they reached the third floor where the Professor and Ginny would turn. Taking a quick glance at McGonagall, Ginny hugged Harry once more and then she impulsively kissed him on the cheek, garnering another small smile from their usually stern Professor.
Harry stood there watching Ginny leave in awe, his hand going to the spot where her lips had touched him. He was positive he felt his cheek tingling. Slowly a smile grew on his face. He didn't know why she had kissed him but he knew he liked it very much.
Ginny glanced back and gave him an encouraging smile before she and McGonagall disappeared from view.
Ginny was glad they were taking the Floo as she had heard stories from Bill and Charlie about how it felt to Apparate and she wasn't sure she wanted to experience that just yet.
After meeting with her parents at the Leaky Cauldron the four of them headed out into Diagon Alley.
Ginny was taken by surprise when her father said to her mother, "Why don't you go with Ginny and Professor McGonagall to get Ginny's wand while I start on getting her books."
Molly handed over the list and a small pouch that contained the few Galleons the Weasley's had left over from buying everything for her brothers.
Once he had left, Ginny, her mother and the Professor headed for Ollivander's Wand Shop.
The place appeared empty when the three of them entered the shop and Ginny jumped slightly when Ollivander slid silently into the room. Even though she'd seen him before while shopping with her brothers, she still found him a bit creepy.
"Ah, Ginevra, this is a little bit of a surprise but I should have expected you," he said, fastening his strange moonish eyes upon her.
"It's Ginny," Ginny replied unabashedly.
"Ginny it is," the man replied, nodding his head at her with a small smile.
If Ginny had any expectations of it being a quick and simple thing to obtain her wand, they were quickly dashed as she tried wand after wand.
Far from being discouraged, Mr Ollivander seemed to take great delight as he presented wand after wand for her to try.
They had been at it well over an hour when he had stopped and looked at her carefully. "I wonder," he muttered before he headed back into the shelves once more.
He returned a few moments later with a dusty box. "Here, give this one a try," he said, looking at Ginny keenly.
As soon as Ginny picked up the wand, she knew it was the one. Gold and silver sparks filled the room, astonishing her mother and the Professor at the brilliance of the display.
"Curious," Ollivander said idly as he wrapped up Ginny's wand.
"What's that, sir?" Ginny asked in surprise.
"The Holly tree that your wand is made from only gave one other branch that was suitable for a wand," he replied with an enigmatic smile.
Ginny felt her heart begin to race. "Whose wand was that," she asked, though she was pretty sure what the answer would be.
"That wand was purchased by Harry Potter," he replied, his moon grey eyes sparkling. "Though the core of your wand came from a certain special Unicorn mare who gave just one tail hair and it was only long enough for one wand," he added. "Yes, I think we can expect you to do marvellous things with this wand."
As she turned, Ginny saw the surprised looks on her mother's and McGonagall's faces but she knew that she had been meant for this wand and it made her very happy to know that she shared something special with Harry's wand, like it was meant to be.
As they exited the shop they were surprised to find Arthur standing there with a multitude of packages and he was studying Ginny's list intensely.
"I've got everything but Ginny's robes," he said with a sad smile. "The thing is I don't think there's enough Galleons left."
"Not to worry, Arthur, I have plenty of funds remaining," Professor McGonagall said plainly.
When it appeared that Molly was going to protest, the Professor fixed her with a stare, one eyebrow rising up pointedly, daring Ginny's mother to say anything.
Sufficiently cowed, Molly sighed and took Ginny's hand, leading her toward Madam Malkin's.
Since the shop was virtually deserted because school was already in session, it didn't take long to outfit Ginny with robes. Ginny could hardly believe it, when her mother had started to lead her over to the rack of used robes, McGonagall had given her mother the same look that she had given her outside of Ollivander's.
Ginny was fitted with brand new robes and while they weren't the most expensive ones available, they were new and best of all they were girls robes. She wouldn't have to wear her brothers hand-me-downs. They also purchased a replacement robe for Harry to replace the one she was currently wearing.
Weighed down with her purchases, with McGonagall carrying just as many bags as she was, Ginny said goodbye to her parents and Flooed back to Hogwarts.
She was a little surprised when the Professor escorted her back to her dorm and helped her put everything away.
Once they were done, the Professor pulled a small scroll from one of her pockets. "Here's your time-table," she said, handing the scroll to Ginny. "As you can see you have Transfiguration next, so grab your book and the other necessities and I'll accompany you to class."
Ginny quickly packed her school bag and followed the Professor down and out of the Gryffindor common room.
"I want to thank you for all your help," Ginny said softly, genuinely appreciating all the woman had done to help.
"It was my pleasure, Miss Weasley," McGonagall replied with a small smile. "It's been many years since I've had to go shopping for school things and I enjoyed it quite a bit."
Ginny smiled as a warmth filled her and she thought that McGonagall wasn't as stern and unforgiving as everyone made her out to be. She realized that the Professor was someone she could turn to if she ever needed someone to talk to or go to for help.
They were early for the next class so Ginny picked a spot up front and she placed her book bag on next seat to save it for Harry.
"Miss Weasley, I must ask you not to give anything away and not say anything to your classmates," McGonagall said with a small smile.
Ginny gave her a confused look. "What's that Professor?"
McGonagall's smile widened and she suddenly transformed into a dark grey tabby cat and hopped up onto her desk, winked at Ginny before sitting down.
It was only a few moments later when the students began to arrive. The Gryffindor's sharing Transfiguration with the Hufflepuff's and it was a mix of the houses that arrived.
Several of the other students looked at Ginny, surprised to see her already seated in the classroom.
Harry arrived with the second group of students and his eyes widened in surprise to see her there. He hurried over and sat down next to her.
"How did everything go?" he asked excitedly, as he sat down.
"Everything went fine, though it did take forever to find a wand," Ginny replied.
Harry laughed lowly. "Me too," he informed her. "Did Ollivander get more and more excited as time went on?" he asked with a knowing smile.
"Yes, he said he loved a challenge," Ginny replied, smiling back.
"What's your wand made of?" Harry asked with great interest.
Ginny blushed and dropped her gaze, looking nervous for the first time Harry could remember.
"What's wrong?" he asked, very concerned.
"It's Holly and Unicorn Tail," Ginny replied softly and hesitantly.
"Holly? That's so cool. My wand is made of Holly," Harry said wondering why Ginny was reacting like she was.
"I know, Mr Ollivander said that the tree that the wood was from only gave two branches," Ginny replied, eyeing Harry unsurely.
It took a moment and then Harry's eyes widened in shock. "You mean . . ." he whispered.
Ginny just nodded slowly back, keeping her eyes locked on his.
Harry's face broke out into a huge smile. "That is so brilliant," he exclaimed happily.
Ginny relaxed and smiled at Harry, relieved that he didn't have a problem with them sharing a common element in their wands.
Then she noticed Harry get a thoughtful look on his face, looking slightly troubled.
"What is it?" she asked with great concern.
Harry smiled reassuringly at her. "I'll tell you later," he whispered, glancing around to see if anyone was listening.
"Okay," Ginny replied. She wasn't sure why Harry would want to wait to tell her but she trusted him enough to know he'd tell her later like he said.
"So where's the Professor?" Harry asked innocently.
Ginny unconsciously darted her eyes to the cat sitting on the desk. It was done so quickly that Harry almost didn't catch it. He was just about to tease her about since he didn't tell her his secret right away, that she was not going to tell him when it finally registered in his brain about where her eyes had flicked to.
Harry's eyes followed before returning to Ginny's and he was going to say something but then his eyes went back to the cat. It took a moment to sink in but there was just something about the car that drew his attention.
It was the second time that his eyes went back and forth from Ginny to the cat when Harry saw Ginny's eyes widen in fear. He took one last look at the cat before looking back into Ginny's eyes, that were pleading with him, and he gave her a small reassuring nod of his head.
It wasn't long afterwards when the bell sounded for the start of class. Most of the other students were looking around, looking slightly confused and slowly the sounds of their hushed voices began to increase in volume.
Harry and Ginny just sat there, sharing amused looks while everyone else began to get annoyed.
It was about five minutes after class was to begin when Ron, Dean and Seamus came running into the the room.
"I'm sorry Pro . . ." Ron began to say but then he halted as the three boys looked around the room. They relaxed considerably when they didn't see Professor McGonagall.
"I think we lucked out today," Seamus said to Ron and Dean.
"Yeah, looks like McGonagall isn't here yet," Ron agreed with a smile.
They were just heading to sit down when Professor McGonagall rose, leaped from her desk and Transformed in mid flight. Coming to rest, standing just a little ways behind them.
"Are you sure of that, Mr Weasley?" she asked with asperity.
The three boys spun around, eyes bulging, mouths wide open. "Where the bloody hell did she come from?" Dean whispered to Seamus and Ron.
"I have no bloody idea," Ron replied, also in a whisper.
Unfortunately for the two, the room was as quiet as a graveyard at midnight and everyone heard them.
McGonagall eyed them sternly. "Five points from each of you for your tardiness," she intoned firmly.
All three of their faces fell and they dropped their gaze to the floor.
"An additional 5 points from Mr Thomas and Mr Weasley for inappropriate language," she added sternly, looking at them pointed.
Her eyes tracked them uncompromisingly all the way to their seats, never once losing her stern look. While she hated to take points from her own house, she was very fair and unbiased.
Once they were seated she went back to the front and stood by her desk. "Did anyone notice anything unusual when you entered the classroom?" she asked, her eyes sweeping the class.
A small handful of students raised their hands, all of them girls with them being equally split between the Gryffindors and the Hufflepuffs.
McGonagall's eyes fastened on one of the girls. "Miss Abbott, what did you notice that was unusual?" she asked.
"I-I noticed, um a cat sitting on the desk," Hannah replied shyly. "But I didn't know it was you," she added quickly.
The Professor nodded encouragingly. "Is that what you all saw?" she asked to the other girls who had raised their hands.
All of them nodded in agreement.
McGonagall's eyes once more swept the class. "Did anyone figure out that I was the cat?" she asked.
No one raised their hand until Ginny elbowed Harry in the side and he slowly raised his hand.
The action didn't go unnoticed by McGonagall and she had to keep herself from smiling.
"How did you figure it out, Mr Potter?" she asked.
Harry blushed slightly, his eyes darting to Ginny for a moment. "I, ah, asked Ginny where you were and her eyes flicked to the cat. It took me a moment to figure it out when I looked at you but there was just something about the cat that struck me as being different," he replied softly.
McGonagall looked at him in surprise. "Can you tell me what seemed different?" she asked, truly curious as to what he had noticed.
"No, Professor," Harry replied lowly.
"Well, no matter. It seems you have excellent instincts. Even though Miss Weasley was here when I Transformed, she didn't say anything. Can you tell me why you thought something was different?" she asked.
Harry dropped his gaze uncomfortably. "Growing up I had to be very aware of my surroundings," he said just above a whisper.
McGonagall had to school her features not to react and unseen by Harry, Ginny's eyes filled with tears, each knowing about Harry's growing up at his relatives.
The Professor quickly looked away, her eyes going back to the class. "Can anyone tell me what the term is for what I am?" she asked.
Immediately Hermione's hand flew up, hers being the only one.
"Yes, Miss Granger?" she asked.
"You're an Animagus," she replied eagerly.
"Correct. Five points to Gryffindor," McGonagall said with satisfaction.
She was about to proceed when Hermione's hand once more rose.
"What is it, Miss Granger?"
"Well, didn't, um Harry, cheat in figuring it out. I mean it wasn't until Ginny's reaction that he figured it out and she knew the cat was you," Hermione said, looking accusingly at Harry.
"Nonsense. Mr Potter used his powers of observation and his intelligence to put the clues together. Something that I wouldn't classify as cheating," McGonagall admonished.
Hermione blushed and looked contrite.
With that, the Professor launched into the rest of the lesson.
When the bell rang, signalling the end of class, Harry slowly packed up his book, parchment, quill and ink. Because of that he and Ginny were the last to leave.
Ginny could tell he was still thinking about growing up at his relatives. She gave him an encouraging smile as they rose and headed for the door.
"Harry, you have nothing to be ashamed of," McGonagall said compassionately.
Harry stopped and looked back at her. "Thank you, Professor," he said sadly.
Ginny's eyes met McGonagall's and an understanding passed between them. McGonagall gave her a small smile, knowing that Ginny would take care of her best friend.
"Come on, Harry," Ginny said softly, giving his arm a tender squeeze. "Lets go switch our books and head down to lunch."
Harry smiled at her, though there was still a touch of melancholy about him, he felt a lot better. "Sounds like a plan," he said, glad that she could have such a positive effect on him.
As they entered the Great Hall and sat down, Ginny noticed Hermione staring at Harry with a frown on her face.
"What's with her?" Ginny asked, motioning with her head at the bushy-haired girl.
Harry glanced at Hermione before turning his attention back to loading his plate. "She's lonely and compensates for it by trying to be the best student," he replied with a shrug.
Ginny looked at him in surprise but then realized it was one more facet of what McGonagall had noted about him and his ability to take notice of small details and make well thought out assumptions from the bits and pieces of information he had gleaned.
After Lunch they headed for the Library as they had a free period before their next class, Charms.
Once they were seated at one of the tables, Ginny asked to see his notes from the class she had missed, History of Magic.
Harry blushed deeply and pulled out a scroll of parchment from his bag. It had a meagre six or seven lines scrawled on it.
Ginny eyed it with disappointment. "Harry, is this all you wrote down?" she asked with a frown.
Harry gave her a pained look. "Sorry," he mumbled, dropping his eyes and refusing to meet her gaze.
Ginny immediately knew something was wrong. "Harry?" she said softly.
Harry still refused to look at her and he squirmed uncomfortably in his seat.
"Harry, talk to me, please," Ginny said softly, her heart going out to him.
"Iwasn'tallowedtodobetterthanmycousin," he whispered in a rush.
It took a moment for Ginny to process what he had said and when she did it about broke her heart.
"Oh, Harry," she cried softly, her eyes misting.
She quickly gathered herself back together. "Now you listen to me Harry James Potter. You don't live with them any more, you live with us Weasleys and all of us are taught to do our best in everything we do," she said sternly. "Well, of course some of us don't apply themselves as much as others," she said with a smirk.
"I'm sure Fred and George are much smarter than they let on," she said with a giggle.
Harry found himself smiling in spite of himself.
"So from now on I want you to try your best," Ginny said tenderly.
Harry gave her a shy smile. "Okay, Ginny, I promise to do my best," he said softly, wanting to please his best friend.
"That's all I'm asking. You don't have to be the best at everything, just try your hardest," Ginny said softly, a warm smile on her face.
Harry smiled at her, fighting the tears he felt forming in his eyes. "Thanks Ginny," he said emotionally.
"You're welcome," Ginny replied softly and then she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.
Harry blushed but gave her a brilliant smile. That was the second time she had kissed his cheek and he found he liked it very much. It fact it was probably the most brilliant thing he had ever experienced in his life.
Ginny noticed his reaction but purposely didn't comment. With a sigh, she looked at Harry's parchment again. She was pleased when she noticed he had written down the chapter and page numbers in the upper corner.
Unfortunately they didn't have their History of Magic texts with them. "We'll have to go over everything tonight," Ginny said kindly, not want to make Harry feel any worse than he was.
The good thing was, that at Ginny's urging, they had brought their Transfiguration text books with them and they got to work on their essays due their next class. McGonagall had assigned them eighteen inches on the Fundamentals of Transfiguration.
Ginny smiled softly as she saw Harry rereading the first chapter that the class had gone over that morning before he began to write his essay. She was quite pleased when she saw him go back and reference things in the text book several times as he wrote his essay.
Seeing that he was working diligently, Ginny turned her attention to her own essay and like Harry, worked hard at making it the best she could.
At almost the exact same time as Ginny finished her essay, she saw Harry sigh and put down his quill. Glancing at his parchment she was pleased to see he had actually written a little more than the required eighteen inches.
Curious, she asked "Do you want to read mine while I go over yours to make sure we both did a good job?"
Harry briefly wondered if it was just a ruse for her to check on what he had written but then decided he really didn't care. If Ginny wanted to make sure he had done an adequate job, he'd let her. He figured he could use all the help he could get after years of not doing his best.
Exchanging essays, they both read what the other had written. Both were a little surprised, while they both had covered the same material, each had emphasized slightly different details concerning the five Principal Exceptions to Gamp's Law.
"This is very good," Ginny said with a warm smile.
"But I didn't write the same things as you did," Harry protested with a frown.
"That doesn't matter. Each person will focus on different things. The important thing is you covered the material and gave your own thoughts about what drew your attention," Ginny replied, hoping to set him at ease.
Harry looked thoughtful for a few moments. "Okay, I can see that," he replied.
Ginny handed him his scroll back while he did the same with hers. She glanced up at the clock. "We should probably head off to Charms," she said, packing up her things.
Harry followed suit and they left the Library, having to climb up two floors to where the Charms classroom was located on the third floor. Once again they were the first to arrive and had to wait in the corridor till the class in session was over.
They weren't there long before other students began to arrive, Hermione was one of the first. She frowned at them but didn't say anything. She was followed by a mix of other Gryffindors and some Ravenclaws, who they would share the class with.
As soon as the other class had filed out, Ginny pulled Harry through the door, once more taking seats right up front in the middle. Hermione followed close behind, also sitting in the first row but taking a seat leaving a couple of spots between her and Harry and Ginny.
Ginny noticed her glancing at them with a small frown. She ignored it, thinking about what Harry had said about the young girl. She just hoped that the bushy-haired girl would chill out and get over being so competitive.
On one hand she really didn't care. She just wanted her and Harry to learn as much as they could and do the best of their abilities. Then again, she did find Hermione's attitude to be quite annoying.
As soon as class started, Ginny put all thoughts of Hermione out of her mind. Professor Flitwick was a fun teacher and she and Harry really enjoyed the class.
The first half of the class was devoted to theory and Ginny was pleased to see Harry taking much more detailed notes than he had during History of Magic.
Ginny found herself having to stifle her amusement. Her brother Ron had come in just before the bell rang and ended up having to sit next to Hermione, much to the bushy-haired girl's displeasure.
Flitwick demonstrated the proper 'Swish and Flick' for the spell they were working on, Wingardium Leviosa.
The class was then set to work after each student was provided with a large feather.
At first no one was having any success and then there was a small wooshing sound as Seamus somehow managed to incinerate his feather, covering his face with soot.
The whole class burst into laughter, even Professor Flitwick. He then cast a charm, cleaning Seamus off and conjured him a new feather.
Ginny saw Harry get a thoughtful, determined look on his face. At the same time she heard her brother, Ron, say "If you're so smart, lets see you do it."
Just as Hermione gave him a frown, she heard Harry softly say " Wingardium Leviosa."
She smiled as she saw Harry's feather begin to rise slowly into the air. Spurred by his success, she did the same.
Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on your point of view, Flitwick's attention had been drawn by Hermione's and Ron's exchange of words.
"Well Done, Miss Granger!" the diminutive Professor cried out as Hermione levitated her feather.
Ginny's eyes met Harry's and he just gave her a small shrug and a smile, not caring if Hermione was given credit for accomplishing the spell first, even though he and Ginny had actually done it before she had. Something that just endeared him all the more to her.
She noticed Hermione giving them a smug smile which quickly vanished when she saw hers and Harry's feathers also floating in the air.
Before anything else happened, the bell rang, signalling the end of class. Harry and Ginny began to pack up their books and Hermione passed in front of them, her nose sticking up in the air, giving off an air of superiority.
Ginny sighed, "I wish she'd get over herself."
"Don't worry, Ginny. People like her eventually run into something that they can't handle and everything comes crashing down around them. I say we just ignore her and continue trying our best," Harry said softly.
Ginny glanced at Harry. "When did you get so smart?" she asked with a smile.
Harry gave her a cheeky grin. "I have this really intelligent friend and I think she's rubbing off on me."
Ginny swatted his arm lightly. "Prat," she said, though Harry could see her lips quivering as she fought a smile.
After dinner Harry and Ginny spent the first part of the evening in the Library doing their homework, finishing their Charms essays.
As they were leaving they noticed Hermione working furiously at a table all by herself. If what they could see was accurate, she had done at least twice the length required on whichever essay she was working on.
Ginny shook her head sadly and when Harry gave her a questioning look she said, "Bill told me never to do more than a paragraph more than the Professor asked for or they mark you down."
Harry gave her a surprised look. "Why?" he asked in confusion.
"Think about it. If everyone did twice as much, how much longer it would take them to read all of them and they have seven levels of students to grade," she said slightly condescendingly.
"I never thought about that," Harry replied thoughtfully. Then he gave a small shrug. "I guess she'll have to learn the hard way."
Ginny just nodded as they left the Library, and they made their way back toward the Gryffindor common room.
Just as they turned a corner, they saw Fred and George a little ahead of them. They appeared to have a piece of parchment that they were looking at intently.
They heard Fred say lowly, "Mischief managed," before he folded the parchment and stuffed in carelessly into his pocket. As he withdrew his hand the parchment fell unnoticed to the floor as they walked away.
By the time Harry and Ginny had reached the parchment, the Twins had disappeared. Harry stooped down and picked up the parchment and they looked at it closely.
"That's strange. Its blank," Harry said, puzzled.
Ginny got a thoughtful look on her face. Then suddenly her eyes widened slightly with a mischievous look.
"I want to try something," she said excitedly.
Drawing her wand she tapped the parchment, saying "I solemnly swear I'm up to no good."
Harry's eyes widened in shock as lines began to appear and spread across the parchment. "This is a map of Hogwarts!" he cried softly.
He then looked at Ginny. "How did you know what to say?" he asked in surprise.
"I overheard them once and when I asked them about it they told be to bugger off, saying it was none of my business," Ginny replied with a small frown.
Harry chuckled and glanced at the map again. His eyes widened and his head jerked back. "Look! There are dots with our names on them," he said excitedly.
Ginny looked at the map too and as they inspected it closely, they could see names with dots all over the map.
"So this is how they've been getting away with all the pranks they pull," Ginny said knowingly.
She looked at Harry gleefully. "Just think of the fun we can have with this," she said mischievously.
Harry smiled back at her, "I like how you think, Miss Weasley!"
Ginny glanced back down at the map and noticed the heading for the first time. "Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers are proud to present THE MARAUDER'S MAP"
"I wonder who they were?" she asked questioningly. "Though they were obviously pranksters."
"I have no idea," Harry replied, "Though they had to be pretty good at magic to make something like this."
Ginny took her wand and tapped the map again, saying "Mischief managed," and they watched as the map disappeared and she smiled at Harry deviously. "Just think of the possibilities," she said gleefully.
Harry smiled at her as he folded the map back up. He then handed it to Ginny, who looked at him in surprise.
Harry shrugged. "It was your bothers' so I think you should have it, you know, keep it in the family," he said plainly.
Ginny smiled at his generosity. "Even though I don't need to say it, I want you to know that you can borrow it any time you want," she said happily.
Harry chuckled lowly. "I doubt I'll need to as we'll probably be using it together," he replied, his eyes dancing merrily.
He was taken by surprise as they resumed their journey back to the common room when Ginny slipped her hand into his, entwining their fingers together.
He glanced at Ginny and saw the small smile on her lips as their eyes met. Though surprised, he found he liked having her hand in his and he found himself smiling back at her.
It was a happy pair that returned to the common room and after depositing their book bags in their respective dorms, they met back down in the common room. They considered themselves luck when they found an open spot on one of the couches in front of the fireplace.
Harry sat down and was once more taken by surprise when Ginny sat down and cuddled into his side. For some reason he couldn't explain, it just felt so right.
Ginny sighed contentedly as she smiled up at him from her position resting on his shoulder.
"Well, I think things have gone exceedingly well for our first day, don't you think?" Ginny said softly.
I certainly agree," Harry replied, his smile matching hers. "I wonder what tomorrow will bring?"
Ginny didn't feel that his question needed a reply and she just snuggled a little closer.
Harry and Ginny
A/N: I felt it was time to add another one of these Special Days. I hope it meets your approval. If it has, I'd love getting a review.