Chapter 4

The Philosopher's Stone

Ginny's Age: 10

An extremely large and extremely unpleasant looking man with a purple face stood beside a tall, sharp looking woman and a fat, petrified-looking, blonde boy. The man narrowed his eyes as he looked around the platforms nine and ten at King's Cross. Upon noticing the attire of company he was with, his frown became more pronounced, if that was physically possible. Ginny Weasley nudged closer to her mother—she didn't like that man very much. He muttered something unintelligible about, "those people" with their "funny clothes and weird ways." Deciding not to dwell on the subject any longer, Ginny turned to her mom.

"Are they going to get here soon?" she whined.

"Soon enough, dearie," answered her mother.

"'Soon enough' is not good enough!" the girl grumbled. She had been marking down the days on her calendar for over a month. Today was the day that the Hogwarts Express arrived at Platform 9 ¾. Today was the day that her brothers came back from school. Presumably, a certain young boy with raven hair and startlingly green eyes would be coming off the platform as well.

"Mom," Ginny asked, "Do you think Harry Potter will be here?"

"Well, yes. I imagine he has to come home for the holidays, doesn't he?" was the reply.

The grumpy fat man snorted at the overheard discussion of Harry Potter. Ginny most definitely did not like this man.

"You know, Mum, next year I'll get to go to school."

"Yes, you will, Ginny. It will be dreadfully quiet at home, now won't it?"

"Oh, you'll survive without me," the young girl reassured. And I'll be just fine at Hogwarts, she thought. Especially if Harry Potter becomes my friend.

Several boys and girls seemed to appear out of thin air near the crowd Ginny was in.

"Their back!" Ginny squealed. She gently bit her lower lip in concentration as she searched the area. Where was Harry Potter?
"There he is, Mom, there he is, look!" she shouted and pointed and bounced up and down. "Harry Potter! Look, Mom! I can see—

Mrs. Weasley cut her off. "Be quiet, Ginny, and it's rude to point." Ginny put her hand down but continued to jump and squeal.

"Busy year?" asked Mrs. Weasley. Ginny stopped squealing to hear HIM speak.

"Very," said Harry Potter. "Thanks for the fudge and the sweater, Mrs. Weasley." Ginny turned red with pride. She made that sweater! She watched in awe as her brother bid farewell to Harry Potter and a bushy brunette. Her eyes widened even more when Harry walked off with that grumpy man and what appeared to be the man's wife and son. The poor boy! Having to live with Muggles like that! As the Boy-Who-Lived disappeared into the crowd, Ginny began the interrogation.

"What's he like?" she turned to Ron.

"Who?"

"You know…… Harry Potter," she whispered his name.

"Oh, him. He's a good mate."

"Is it true about the Philosopher's Stone?" Ginny asked as the family made their way out of the station.

"Umm, yeah."

"Oh, tell me, please!" she squealed.

Ron didn't need to be told twice. He launched into the tale full force, taking particular care to play up his part in the giant chess game. Ginny did not really care about that as much as she cared about Harry Potter. She was in awe of everything she was told of him, and even more in awe of the casual way Ron, and Fred and George, and even Percy spoke of "my friend, Harry." She dreamed of being able to refer to Harry Potter as her friend, as oppose to the object of her obsession.

For the next solid month or so, Ginny begged to be told the story of the troll and the Philosopher's Stone and You-Know-Who and the one and only and wonderful Harry Potter

"He must be so brave!" she proclaimed with great longing. Ginny began to compare him to the princes in the Muggle fairy tales she loved. "Such a wonderful Quidditch player, too," she told anyone who would listen. "And a very powerful wizard. Always protecting his friends. And fighting You-Know-Who twice!"

"Believe it or not, Ginny" Fred told her one day.

"But we already know all this about young Harry," said George.

"Because we informers of you as to his many brilliant attributes in the first place," Fred said.

"I know," replied an indignant Ginny. "But he's just so courageous! Oh, please, tell me about him again."

Harry Potter became nonstop discussion at the Burrow, courtesy of Ginny. When Ron suggested a game of Quidditch with Fred and George, Ginny piped up. "Can I play, too? Oh, please, can I play?"

"Not likely!" Ron scoffed.

"Why not?" demanded his little sister.

"Because you're ten, you're a girl, and you're a baby," Ron said.

"Besides," George added, "You don't even know how to ride a broom."

That's what you think! Ginny almost shouted before remembering to hold her tongue. Instead she snapped at him, "Harry Potter would let me!"

"Why would Harry want to play with a little nobody of a girl?" Ron retorted, but her words had hurt him deep. He knew that Harry would let her; he was a just nice guy like that. Once again, Ron was reminded that he was second best—even in the eyes of his sister. What he didn't know was how Ginny admired the ease in which he spoke of Harry Potter. They were actually friends.

"When I grow up, I'm not going to be a nobody," Ginny said, before stalking off to her room. Slamming the door with as much force as she could, she contented herself to brood in seclusion. Stupid brothers! She wasn't a baby! Ginny told herself that someday, everyone would know her name and no one would underestimate her. She would be a powerful witch, and her family would be terribly proud. Even Harry Potter would have to take notice.

Ginny heard voices through her open window and realized it was her brothers. Carefully, creeped to the windowsill and attempted to listen closer.

"You've got to give our poor little sister a break," Fred said.

"She's insufferable!" Ron defended himself.

"She's smitten with him," George agreed. "Poor Harry. Everyone fancies the great Harry Potter."

"Why doesn't anyone fancy us, George?" asked Fred.

"Indeed, we are underappreciated and overlooked!" George declared. "But we're such stupendous chaps! They should be flocking."

"Oh, stop it!" Fred said. "You're making me blush!"

"So are you saying we should have asked her to play with us?" Ron asked his brothers.

"Are you joking?" George laughed.

"She'd run smack into a tree!" said Fred. The boys chuckled at Ginny's expense, but in all fairness, they didn't know she heard them.

This didn't matter to Ginny; she hated their teasing. "I want a new family!" she grumbled. "I want to be a Potter!"

Disclaimer: I promise I'm not JK Rowling. And since she has, or so I've heard, given permission for Harry Potter fanfiction to be written, it should be obvious that I intend no infringement of any copyrights. (I love the word infringement. Don't you? Infringement. Even just fringe. Fringe. Taste the word.)

A/N: Sorry it's a kind of lousy chapter…. It'll get better soon, I promise. Oh and thanks to all whom have reviewed—particularly Blue-Eyed Chica who has faithfully reviewed every chapter of this story and my last one.