Ginny scratched her head as she sat down for breakfast. "Where's my schedule?" She wondered aloud. No sooner than she'd said it, her brother Ron and Hermione Granger sat down across from her. Hermione snatched a parchment from his hand.
"Here it is, love, someone was just-" (Here, Hermione eyed Ron with quite more distaste than was really necessary) "-checking up on you, I believe?"
"Ronald!" Ginny moaned, scanning the sheet. "What on earth is of interest to you on here?"
Ron looked rather shocked, and mightily appalled. "Nothing, really! Just... Oh sod off, Hermione."
"Why do you always feel the need to spy on her? She's fifteen, Ron; she's only a year younger than you!"
"I... I'm a prefect!" Ron stammered, patting his badge. Hermione gave Ginny a look.
"First time you've ever exercised that authority, isn't it, Ron?" Hermione said tartly, looking back at him and sticking her tongue out, a stunning move, which sent him scowling in surprise. Over the years, she had steadily pushed to the limits of a know-it-all by Ron and Harry's antics; now for all appearances, it seemed Hermione was nothing more than an average very bright, slightly mouthy sixteen-year-old. It was only too much to hope for that this may last through her first class of the year.
"Anyway!" cried Ginny in outrage as the boy looked about ready to speak, "I'm a prefect too, Ronald!"
"Well... bah!" Ron threw his hands up. "I just wanted to see her classes since she has this thing with keeping things from me! You know, first boys, then Remedial Charms or what-have-you!" He paused and gave Ginny a look. "Honestly...What's a good man to do with you lot ganging up on him on every bloody issue!"
"I suppose you should know, you being a good man and all, Ronnie." The girls teased lovingly, then smiled pompously at one another. Despite this exchange, Ginny still felt uneasy hanging out with the trio. They were all so close, and she was an outsider. However, as Hermione had slowly crept through puberty, she understood a universal truth: that she chummed around with boys, and boys in turn could be stunningly thick, and stunningly wrong about many things. It was for this reason that, the previous summer at the Burrow, Ginny was more often called into the room to help Hermione in bickering matches. Hermione would always love them best, but it is true that every girl, at That Age, needs another feminine eye.
Around this time, Harry had stepped into the Great Hall, clutching his book bag and squinting at the sky to see whether those were rain clouds or not. At the same moment he spotted his mates, he could tell there was a row being had, and for this reason, he loitered. Slowing his pace, he scanned the High Table and waved at Hagrid. Hagrid winked back at him and Harry felt good. Now, it must be said that at Hogwarts, Harry always felt more a whole person. At the Dursleys, he seemed more a half of one usually. However, never before this summer had he actually felt unlike a person at all. Not even those nights in his cupboard or room, pretending not to exist. Now, though, the combination of the week with the Weasleys with that wink made Harry felt slightly fuller. The summer of had been an ongoing catharsis – a purging – for Harry – and now he was finally felt like he was gaining in good what he'd lost in bad. Maybe someday he would remember what it was like to be whole again... It had taken him a summer of sleepless nights to realize Sirius wanted that, and so Harry grew on with that thought.
He decided to go help settle the row.
"How are we doing here?" Harry called, sitting next to Ginny (how much better he felt around Ron's sister now that she was over that silly crush!) and reaching out for a plate. "You lot look pleased, really you do."
Hermione grinned perkily. "Oh, but we are, Harry. See, look." She handed him her schedule.
"It can't be!" Harry winced visibly as he saw the schedule. "Not-"
"Snape!"
"Hold on..." Ron unfolded a piece of parchment from his pocket – his own schedule, wadded and creased. It was amazing how in so little time he could mutilate important papers to the point of illegibility. "Hold on, now. I got an A on that stupid Potions OWL and McGonnagall promised me that as long as I didn't get an O, I was safe!"
Hermione's mouth was wide open. "You mean you didn't want to be in NEWTS Potions? Now Ron, Snape is a little unfair at times but he really is one of the greater minds of our times in Potions –" And with that, the Know-It-All overcame all odds and beat down the normal girl. Hermione continued on this tangent for quite a while, occasionally tapping her schedule and saying things like "even you" "hopeless with that attitude" "apply yourself" and "insufferable, Ronald!"
Ron's expression went rather glazed as he obliged her by silently pretending to listen. When she finally stopped, he scratched his chin. "Did you mean to say I'm smart, Hermione?" She blushed only vaguely and spat "no." Ginny giggled and Hermione gave her a look that spoke volumes of her turncoat status.
Meanwhile, Harry, who was paying as little attention as Ron was, but who was not required to feign attention, was caught by the gaze of none other than Draco Malfoy. Harry was ready to give Draco the standard glare, but then he realized that Draco's cold eyes weren't focused on him for a change, but instead on Ginny, who was now smirking silently and pretending to pay attention to some of her fifth-year friends, who were on the other side of her. This couldn't be good.
"Here it is, love, someone was just-" (Here, Hermione eyed Ron with quite more distaste than was really necessary) "-checking up on you, I believe?"
"Ronald!" Ginny moaned, scanning the sheet. "What on earth is of interest to you on here?"
Ron looked rather shocked, and mightily appalled. "Nothing, really! Just... Oh sod off, Hermione."
"Why do you always feel the need to spy on her? She's fifteen, Ron; she's only a year younger than you!"
"I... I'm a prefect!" Ron stammered, patting his badge. Hermione gave Ginny a look.
"First time you've ever exercised that authority, isn't it, Ron?" Hermione said tartly, looking back at him and sticking her tongue out, a stunning move, which sent him scowling in surprise. Over the years, she had steadily pushed to the limits of a know-it-all by Ron and Harry's antics; now for all appearances, it seemed Hermione was nothing more than an average very bright, slightly mouthy sixteen-year-old. It was only too much to hope for that this may last through her first class of the year.
"Anyway!" cried Ginny in outrage as the boy looked about ready to speak, "I'm a prefect too, Ronald!"
"Well... bah!" Ron threw his hands up. "I just wanted to see her classes since she has this thing with keeping things from me! You know, first boys, then Remedial Charms or what-have-you!" He paused and gave Ginny a look. "Honestly...What's a good man to do with you lot ganging up on him on every bloody issue!"
"I suppose you should know, you being a good man and all, Ronnie." The girls teased lovingly, then smiled pompously at one another. Despite this exchange, Ginny still felt uneasy hanging out with the trio. They were all so close, and she was an outsider. However, as Hermione had slowly crept through puberty, she understood a universal truth: that she chummed around with boys, and boys in turn could be stunningly thick, and stunningly wrong about many things. It was for this reason that, the previous summer at the Burrow, Ginny was more often called into the room to help Hermione in bickering matches. Hermione would always love them best, but it is true that every girl, at That Age, needs another feminine eye.
Around this time, Harry had stepped into the Great Hall, clutching his book bag and squinting at the sky to see whether those were rain clouds or not. At the same moment he spotted his mates, he could tell there was a row being had, and for this reason, he loitered. Slowing his pace, he scanned the High Table and waved at Hagrid. Hagrid winked back at him and Harry felt good. Now, it must be said that at Hogwarts, Harry always felt more a whole person. At the Dursleys, he seemed more a half of one usually. However, never before this summer had he actually felt unlike a person at all. Not even those nights in his cupboard or room, pretending not to exist. Now, though, the combination of the week with the Weasleys with that wink made Harry felt slightly fuller. The summer of had been an ongoing catharsis – a purging – for Harry – and now he was finally felt like he was gaining in good what he'd lost in bad. Maybe someday he would remember what it was like to be whole again... It had taken him a summer of sleepless nights to realize Sirius wanted that, and so Harry grew on with that thought.
He decided to go help settle the row.
"How are we doing here?" Harry called, sitting next to Ginny (how much better he felt around Ron's sister now that she was over that silly crush!) and reaching out for a plate. "You lot look pleased, really you do."
Hermione grinned perkily. "Oh, but we are, Harry. See, look." She handed him her schedule.
"It can't be!" Harry winced visibly as he saw the schedule. "Not-"
"Snape!"
"Hold on..." Ron unfolded a piece of parchment from his pocket – his own schedule, wadded and creased. It was amazing how in so little time he could mutilate important papers to the point of illegibility. "Hold on, now. I got an A on that stupid Potions OWL and McGonnagall promised me that as long as I didn't get an O, I was safe!"
Hermione's mouth was wide open. "You mean you didn't want to be in NEWTS Potions? Now Ron, Snape is a little unfair at times but he really is one of the greater minds of our times in Potions –" And with that, the Know-It-All overcame all odds and beat down the normal girl. Hermione continued on this tangent for quite a while, occasionally tapping her schedule and saying things like "even you" "hopeless with that attitude" "apply yourself" and "insufferable, Ronald!"
Ron's expression went rather glazed as he obliged her by silently pretending to listen. When she finally stopped, he scratched his chin. "Did you mean to say I'm smart, Hermione?" She blushed only vaguely and spat "no." Ginny giggled and Hermione gave her a look that spoke volumes of her turncoat status.
Meanwhile, Harry, who was paying as little attention as Ron was, but who was not required to feign attention, was caught by the gaze of none other than Draco Malfoy. Harry was ready to give Draco the standard glare, but then he realized that Draco's cold eyes weren't focused on him for a change, but instead on Ginny, who was now smirking silently and pretending to pay attention to some of her fifth-year friends, who were on the other side of her. This couldn't be good.