Disclaimer: If I was as smart as JK to create such a magical world, I would've done. Everything belongs to her, I own nothing.
A train whistle caught Ginny's attention and when she saw the gleaming red Hogwarts Express it took her breath away. Finally she was here on Platform 93/4, she was off to Hogwarts. Ginny Weasley had been looking forward to this day for years, the day when she was finally free of the confines of Aunt Muriel's home. Watching each year as her brother's left, not being able to follow them, wanting nothing more than to escape, but not this time. This time she would be on that train and she would be in that castle. She would escape and nothing was going to stop her. Ginny was so mesmerised by the locomotive that she didn't hear her older brother, Bill, talking to her.
"Ginny!" Bill barked, bringing Ginny back to reality.
"What?" She snapped back, unappreciative of not being able to revel in her daydream a little longer.
"I said that I want you to stay with your brothers on the train. We don't know who might be on there," Ginny groaned at what Bill was telling her. She was sick and tired of everyone around her being so overprotective and controlling, constantly telling her to be careful, constantly restricting her.
"Hogwarts students, that's who will be on the train," she sarcastically bit back.
"I'm not debating this. You will stay with your brothers," Ginny heard the finality to his tone but smirked inwardly knowing she would not spend her first train ride to Hogwarts with any of her brothers. Charlie and Bill no longer attended Hogwarts, Percy would be off carrying out his Prefect duties, Fred and George would be too busy pranking their fellow students and Ron would probably ignore her like he did last year. Meaning she would be free to do what she wanted. Finally.
After Bill had helped Ginny with her tatty, old trunk, they were all on the train and waved their goodbyes to Bill. Ginny half hung out the window, getting one last glimpse of the platform before they turned a corner and it was behind her. She pulled her head and arms back into the train with a beaming smile plastered on her face, and noticed that Percy had already left them. Fred and George were standing there, almost twitching to get away which made Ginny chuckle. Her brothers were so predictable.
"Hey Gin, we would love to stay and respect our darling brother's wishes, but-" George started.
"we were never ones for doing what we're told," Fred finished with a smirk as they sauntered off down the train in search of unfortunate recipients to their pranks. Ginny started off in the other direction with the hope of finding someone she could sit with, excited at the prospect of making some friends.
"Whoa, where do you think you're going?" Ron demanded, a frown on his face.
"To look for a seat. You might be okay with standing up for the whole journey but I'm not," she retorted sweetly.
"Oh no you're not. You're coming with me. Bill meant what he said, I'm not leaving you alone."
"It's pretty impossible to be alone on a train full of students," she mocked, slowly getting aggravated with her overbearing brothers.
"You know perfectly well what I mean, Gin," Ginny looked at Ron and sighed, knowing she wouldn't be able to disobey him. He'd always tried to look out for her, all of her brothers had for as long as she could remember, with the exception of Charlie. With not having their mother around, the Weasley children were all extremely close, having learned to depend on each other rather than an adult figure. Ron picked up his and Ginny's trunks and started walking down the train, his sister trailing behind.
Once Ron found the carriage containing his friends he entered and introduced them to Ginny. Thankfully neither of them said anything about her being The Girl Who Lived, however the girl, Hermione, stared quite a bit. This is going to be an awfully long train ride thought Ginny as she sat down by the window and watched as the city transformed into the countryside.
"How was your summer, mate?" Ron asked his dark, messy-haired friend sitting opposite him.
"It was alright, pretty uneventful compared to last year," he said with a smug grin, making Ron snigger.
"What happened last year was not funny, Harry! You could have died!" Hermione reprimanded him.
Last year was Ron's first year at Hogwarts and from what Ginny managed to coax out of the twins, Ron, Harry and Hermione had gotten into some trouble involving the possessed defence against the dark arts professor and some sort of stone. Luckily Dumbledore and the other Professors managed to reach them in time. However, the incident did require Ron and Harry to spend some time in the Hospital Wing; obviously Bill was not too happy about that, giving Ron an earful as soon as they got back to Aunt Muriel's.
"Don't you think he's had enough grief about that off his mom, Hermione?" Ron jabbed back. "What we did last year was right and you know it. If we stood by and did nothing You-Know-Who could have got the stone and returned by now!" Everyone in the carriage shot a tentative glance in Ginny's direction at the mention of Lord Voldemort, but her expression didn't waver, she continued to stare with a stony expression out into the countryside. Hermione opened her mouth to retaliate when the carriage door was cast open by a petite girl with dark, auburn hair.
"What are you doing here?" Harry sighed with a look of annoyance on his face.
"I've found someone to sit with, not that you care," the mysterious girl snapped at him.
"Just go away, Amelia," Harry passively replied as he turned his head towards the window, causing Amelia to notice Ginny sitting in the carriage separate from the others.
"Who's this?" She asked, nodding in the direction of the quiet girl in the corner. When no one answered, she walked over and sat opposite Ginny, giving her a weak smile. "Hello, I'm Amelia, Amelia Potter."
"Hello," she responded, purposely leaving out her name, not wanting to give this strange girl the knowledge that she was the Girl Who Lived, Ginny or Ginevra wasn't exactly a common name, and have her stare at her too.
"Are you a first year too?" Ginny nodded softly in response. "Would you like to come and sit with me?" Ginny shot a quick glimpse at Ron and saw his face tense up into a scowl directed at Amelia to which Ginny promptly nodded her head, replying with a quiet but determined yes. She did enjoy defying other peoples' wishes. As Ginny got up and started following Amelia out of the carriage, Ron held her back, his hand wrapped around her arm.
"I don't think that's a good idea, you heard what Bill said," Ron whispered intensely.
"Bill doesn't know anything. Do you really think me sitting in here with you and your friends, being isolated from everyone else is going to make me safe? What will happen when I'm in Potions, or Transfiguration and you guys aren't there to protect me? I need to learn to cope on my own, Ron. You have to let me," she tried desperately to get him to understand, to allow her that bit of freedom. Ron regarded Harry who looked back at him with an expression on his face as if to say get rid of her and Hermione who stared at him with a pointed look, causing him to sigh in resignation. Ginny took this as her cue to leave and bounded out of the carriage behind Amelia before he could change his mind.
Amelia felt sorry for the quiet girl in the corner surrounded by second years, she couldn't stand being in her brother's presence for 5 minutes since he got back from his first year at Hogwarts, let alone being stuck with him for the whole train ride. Which is why Amelia was now leading her towards the carriage containing her friends, or at least one friend and a new acquaintance Amelia had met on the train. Entering the carriage, Amelia was immediately aware of the awkward silence present among the two occupants, and the sigh of relief upon her arrival.
"Where have you been? I thought you were only going to be gone for five minutes, you've been gone for half an hour!"
"Calm down, Neville, half an hour's not that long. Besides, I would have thought you would have loved getting to know our new friend, Luna, here," she replied to the boy sitting nearest the carriage door, gesturing to the girl sat directly opposite him with a nonchalant look in her eyes. Amelia's comment caused the carriage to become silent once again, until the faint shouting of a squeaky voice could be heard further down the train, resulting in both Neville's and Luna's attention to be diverted towards the quiet girl suspended in the doorway.
"Oh, how rude of me, this is Neville and Luna," Amelia motioned towards the two residents within the carriage respectively, "Neville and Luna, this is- sorry, I never actually caught your name…?"
"I'm Ginny," she replied inaudibly, prompting Amelia, who was the only one close enough to hear her, to look at her in complete shock.
"Ginny? You mean Ginny Weasley? As in Ginevra Weasley, The Girl Who Lived?" Amelia's voice increased a few octaves with each question as Ginny recoiled at both the sound of her full name and that godforsaken title that had permanently been attached to her name since that awful night. Amelia's revelation lead to a series of events occurring; Neville's reaction had him practically choking on either air or his own saliva, Luna simply complimented the colour of Ginny's hair, but the worst reaction of all was when a small boy a few carriages down heard Amelia and came rushing over, speaking so rapidly Ginny could not understand a word he said. Shushing him, Ginny quickly ushered the strange boy into the carriage before closing the door and staring at the situation before her.
"Calm down," Ginny snapped at the now hyperventilating boy, not wanting everyone on the train to find out who she was. However, this didn't have quite the desired effect she had wanted, instead of the boy becoming silent, he simply said, "She spoke to me," and fainted.
The boy awoke surrounded by a swarm of people both inside the carriage and crowded outside it. The first face he saw was that of the Head Boy who demanded everyone to stand back and give him some room. This caused the boy to notice Ginny Weasley stood not too far away, a worried look on her face which made his insides flip.
"Can you tell me your name?"
"C-C-C-Colin Creevey," he replied shakily to the concerned Head Boy, all the while staring at Ginny.
"Colin, do you think you can get up for me?" Colin nodded and slowly rose, managing to stand up for a brief second before feeling dizzy and stumbling. Luckily the Head Boy caught him before he could fall into someone.
"Is he okay?" A stranger concealed in the crowd asked.
"Yes, I think he just fainted," the Head Boy replied, "he should be okay provided he sits down calmly for the rest of the journey," figuring nothing exciting was going to happen, the crowd began to disperse, leaving only the Head Boy, Colin, Ginny, Neville, Luna and Amelia in the carriage.
"You can leave now, I feel fine," Colin told the Head Boy.
"No, I want to make sure you're not going to faint again,"
"We can make sure he stays conscious, and we'll get you if anything happens," Amelia promised him, "I'm sure there are more important things you need to do than sit in here with a bunch of first years and a second year. You could always pop back in to check on him once you've done your patrols?"
"I suppose so," started the conflicted Head Boy. Whilst he did feel like it was his duty to make sure the first year was okay and wasn't going to faint again, he also had a duty to make sure everyone else on the train was safe and behaving, Dumbledore was counting on him as Head Boy. "You promise you'll come and get me if even the slightest thing happens?"
Everyone in the carriage nodded, Colin most enthusiastically. Satisfied, the Head Boy left their compartment with one last glance at them all to reassure himself he was doing the right thing. Once he was out of sight everyone in the carriage let out a breath none of them knew they had been holding and all looked expectantly at Ginny.
"What?" Ginny asked looking at them all inquisitively, "Why are you all staring at me?"
"You're The Girl Who Lived," replied Amelia as if that answered everything.
"No I'm not, I'm just Ginny,"
"You've never been 'just Ginny', you defeated one of the darkest wizards of all time!" interjected Colin who was now staring at Ginny in awe.
"I was a baby. No one knows fully what happened that night. I don't remember it and the only other two people who were there were my mom and Voldemort and they're both dead!"
"I'm sorry, Ginny, I wasn't thinking," Amelia apologised, her head bowed shamefully.
"It's okay; I'd just rather not talk about it," Amelia and Colin nodded as Ginny silently stared out of the window again. The rest of the train journey was a quiet one, the previous conversation diminishing any chances of anyone risking to talk apart from Luna who spoke mainly to herself about wrackspurts or some other creature no one had heard of.
When the train arrived at Hogsmeade and everyone got off the train, Ginny followed Amelia towards a figure that stood on the platform taller than anyone else Ginny had ever seen.
"Hi, Hagrid,"
"Hullo, Amelia," Hagrid responded gruffly whilst waving as her and Ginny got closer. Once Ginny could properly see him, she noticed that while his height was intimidating, Hagrid's friendly face alleviated any fears she had towards him. "How's yer parents?"
"They're okay, they both say hi and that they hope you'll come round for dinner again soon," Amelia responded with a beaming smile accompanying her face.
"'ey, who's this 'ere?" Hagrid asked, noticing Ginny standing shyly behind Amelia.
"I-I'm Ginny," she replied slowly removing herself from behind Amelia to face the giant man.
"Why hullo, Ginny. It's nice ta finally meet you. Yer brothers 'av told me all 'bout you whilst he were in school, said yer were cheeky an' mischievous," this prompted Ginny to giggle in response.
"It's great to meet you too, Hagrid," she said sincerely.
"Right, well yer better be gettin' into ter boats if yer wanna get ter Hogwarts,"
The boat journey to Hogwarts was spectacular and it reminded Ginny of why she had waited impatiently for so many years as she watched her brothers leave for the Hogwarts Express each September. The moment she saw the castle, Ginny, along with the rest of the first years, gasped in awe of how magical the castle seemed. A smile emblazoned Ginny's face as she stepped out of the boat and started walking up towards Hogwarts. She had never imagined it to be like this, had never imagined she would feel like she truly belonged. Aunt Muriel's wasn't too bad, but year after year with each of her brothers leaving for Hogwarts and her dad always working, it ended up being just her and Aunt Muriel a lot of the time and she never felt accepted and loved by her Aunt. She always felt like half of her family resented and blamed her for what had happened to her mother. Aunt Muriel was constantly pointing out her imperfections and always comparing her to her brothers. Her father was always at work and even when he wasn't, he barely said a few sentences to Ginny before retreating back to work. She never even saw her brother, Charlie anymore since he moved to Romania. Ginny felt like Hogwarts was the place where she could finally feel like she belonged, the place where she wouldn't feel ostracised for what happened when she was a baby.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," Ginny's attention was diverted away from a nearby statue of armour to a hostile looking woman with her hair pinned back in a tightly neat bun and a stern look on her face. "I am Professor McGonagall, deputy headmistress here at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In a moment you will pass through these doors," she gestured behind her, "where you will be sorted into one of four houses; Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin. Each house competes for the House Cup which is awarded at the end of the year. Good behaviour will be rewarded with points, and bad behaviour or rule breaking will result in losing points. Follow me,"
No one wanting to face the wrath of Professor McGonagall, the first years rushed to follow her into the Great Hall. The first thing Ginny noticed as she stepped through the gigantic doors were the countless faces staring at them all as they walked towards a tattered looking hat on top of a three legged stool, placed in front of what was obviously the staff table. A hushed silence came over the whole hall as Professor McGonagall started to unravel a piece of parchment.
"Andrews, Terry," called McGonagall. A tall, lanky boy with very neat hair slowly walked out of the throng of first years up towards the stool. Professor McGonagall lifted the hat and motioned for Terry Andrews to sit down, once he had, she placed the hat upon his head, where it promptly announced "GRYFFINDOR," to the hall. Terry Andrews shakily got up from his seat and walked over to the Gryffindor table where Ginny could see her brothers sat together clapping.
"Ashbrook, Abigail," McGonagall's voice echoed throughout the hall as another first year made their way up to the stool. Ginny looked around her at all the nervous faces of the fellow first years, compared to the nonchalant faces of students who had to sit through this ceremony every single year, she didn't blame them if they were bored, even she was bored. Diverting her attention towards the staff table in front of her, Ginny noticed Dumbledore was staring at her, a small smile on his face, which grew when he knew Ginny was looking at him. Looking away quickly, Ginny averted her eyes to the stool where she knew she wouldn't have to make eye contact with anyone else. Occasionally hearing the hat shout one of the four houses, or McGonagall announcing someone's name, Ginny wondered which house she'd be sorted into.
"Creevey, Colin," Ginny heard which caught Ginny's attention as she watched Colin sit down on the stool and wave at her which caused her to look away. She heard the hat announce Gryffindor and hoped that if she was also sorted into Gryffindor, Colin wouldn't continue to obsess over her and follow her everywhere she went.
Sometime later, after Luna Lovegood had been sorted into Ravenclaw, Ginny heard McGonagall announce Amelia's name and watched as the hat covered her eyes and swiftly announced Gryffindor.
Unnoticed by Ginny, the crowd of first years around her dwindled until she heard, "Weasley, Ginevra," the hall immediately broke out in hushed whispers. Ginny grumbled under her breath as she walked up towards the stool because McGonagall had used her full name, shooting the professor evil glances as the hat was lowered and obscured her eyes.
"I wondered when I'd eventually get the privilege to sort you into a house," the hat spoke to Ginny, surprising her so much that she just sat there dumbstruck. She could feel the hat rifling through her memories; the first time she snuck out of the house and rode one of her brothers' brooms, the first time she successfully pulled a prank on Fred and George. "My, my, you display qualities from all four houses, but where to put you?" Ginny silently pleaded in her head that she would be put into Gryffindor, not only where her brothers were, but also where her mother had been when she was at Hogwarts. "Interesting, I guess you've made my decision for me,"
"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat bellowed to the hall. When the hat was lifted off her head, Ginny was assaulted with the cheers of the Gryffindor table, her brothers being the loudest of all. Making her way over with a beaming smile plastered to her face, Fred and George moved over to allow her to sit in between them.
"Always knew you'd be a lion like us, Gin," started George.
"Never doubted it for a second did you, George?" asked Fred smirking, his hand outstretched towards George. Ginny was perplexed until George handed Fred a single coin.
"You bet that I wouldn't be sorted into Gryffindor?"
"I-I had to Gin, Fred already bet that you would, and it wouldn't be a proper bet if we both bet the same thing," George stammered, trying to defend himself. By this point, the sorting had finished and the tables were overwhelmed with gorgeous food. Ginny picked up the nearest bowl and poured its contents down George's trousers, causing Fred to howl with laughter.
"Mash!? I am so going to get you back for this Ginny," George responded with a wicked grin.
"I'd like to see you try," Ginny teasingly countered, daring him.
That night after the feast, when the first year Gryffindor's had been shown to the common room and their dormitories, Ginny couldn't wipe the smile off her face, still not entirely believing she was finally at Hogwarts. Entering the room she would call hers for the next seven years, she relished in how everything that had happened that day was better than she could have ever imagined. Walking towards the bed with her trunk placed in front of, Ginny noticed a figure stood at the window in between her bed and the bed next to her.
"Hello?" she asked cautiously. The figure turned around and Ginny recognised her as Amelia.
"Ginny, listen, I really am sorry about earlier on the train. I didn't mean to be so insensitive. Whilst I was growing up, I heard so many stories about you and how you defeated You-Know-Who, and I guess I formed an idealistic image of you in my head of this great female warrior. I never really put much thought into how much you lost that night. I'm sorry,"
Ginny shook her head slightly, "I'm sorry for snapping at you, I shouldn't have. I just get pretty defensive when people bring up that night; it's not exactly something I like to talk about," their conversation was disturbed by 3 girls walking into the dormitory, chatting loudly. Amelia and Ginny looked at each other with a mutual understanding before both getting ready and climbing into their respective beds, closing the curtains around them.
A/N: First of all I would like to apologise for taking so long to write and post this. I would say I hope this chapter makes up for it, but seeing as I have yet to read over it properly there are probably a number of terrible mistakes. If this chapter is terrible, I am sorry. Any feedback you could give me would be greatly appreciated, so long as it's helpful feedback, particularly when it comes to whether you believe I've depicted the characters correctly. Thank you :)