Hogwarts hadn't changed. At least, as far as I could see it hadn't. There was probably some new trick that I would find when I was late for class and didn't need any distractions; some faulty stair, mean suit of armor, or evil picture to delay me.
As we walked through the doors, and into the great hall, I realized that I didn't really feel excited about the coming year. In fact, I felt rather apprehensive. I had no idea why, and, as I tend to dwell on things, I tried to let it slide off. But I just couldn't do it. Well, that's my mind for you. It just won't let me forget the unpleasant things.
We sat down in the great hall, Harvey and Colin on either side of me. I could feel the tension wavering off of Harvey; her little sister was going to be sorted today, and Harvey desperately wanted her to be in Gryffindor.
My gaze wandered over the other house tables as I waited. The majority of the Ravenclaws seemed to be listening to Cho Chang, seeker for the Ravenclaw Quidditch team and object of Harry Potter's affection. I frowned slightly. I can't understand how one person can have so much charisma. I am surprised that she hasn't exploded, she's so chock full of it.
The Hufflepuffs were talking amongst themselves, or staring dreamily into space. One had a book, the title of which was illegible. I stifled a yawn. Neither of these tables interested me very much. My gaze drifted over to the Slytherins. Now there was a table worthy of my attention, for several reasons. One being that the Slytherins and the Gryffindors hate each other with a vengeance, and it is very good to know one's enemy, and another reason is that they are the most interesting house, even more interesting than the Gryffindors. All of them, with potentially evil parents, living in a dorm that once inhabited He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, perhaps the majority of them were Death Eaters. Maybe they were plotting things against us as I watched them. I was thinking about this when one looked at me, right at me. I was, in truth, rather shocked. When you are imagining the horrible lives of other people, it is rather disconcerting when they look at you. It rather destroys the little story that you have created in your mind. The one glaring at me just happened to be my big brother Ron's "arch nemesis" (and I use this word only because it sounds so good) Draco Malfoy. I looked away quickly. First of all, Draco Malfoy frightens me a bit. And second of all, I didn't want him trying to get to Ron through me. Playing means tricks on your enemy's little sister sounds like something a Slytherin would do.
"Gin, wake up, the first years are coming!" Harvey hissed loudly, grabbing my arm in a death grip. A group of scared first years- all first years are scared at the sorting, no matter what they say afterward- shuffled into the hall. Since Harvey's last name was Aber, her little sister was the second called, directly after Aaron, Paul. When Aine (that's Harvey's little sister) went to sit down on the stool, she shot a nervous glance at Harvey, who gave her an encouraging smile. Aine sat on the stool for a full five minutes, with Harvey whispering to me "What the hell is the matter?" "Do you think she'll be in Gryffindor?" every few seconds. Finally, the hat shouted HUFFLEPUFF and the table broke into applause. Harvey gaped in disbelief while I had to quench a laugh. Obviously Aine was more of a dreamer than her tom-boyish sister.
The sorting and the meal were boring. Utterly, utterly boring. As we trooped up to the Gryffindor tower, I remembered that I had to say what the password was. I tried to push my way forward, but being as small as I am, I was pushed back repeatedly by other students. Finally, after someone had delivered a well aimed elbow into my ribs, I took a breath, and yelled "GET OUT OF MY WAY!"
To my enormous surprise, students moved to clear a path for me, and I walked through to the portrait, face as red as my hair. I don't generally yell at anyone except my brothers. The password was Lions Hair, and as soon as I said it, the portrait swung open, and everyone poured inside. I went straight to my dormitory, with the bed that I could bounce on a million times without breaking, and fell asleep in my robes.
"Ginny Weasley! Wakey wakey! Rise and Shine!" One of my dorm mates, the insufferable Laura Penn, bounced upon my bed, smiling happily at me. Sometimes, I want to brain Laura with my alarm clock. I am surprised that Dumbledore's tolerance lectures don't include niceties towards ones hyperactive dorm mates. I "accidentally" sent a pillow flying into Laura's face as I stumbled out of bed and to my dresser. The only clean robes I had were rather old, but I threw them on, brushed my teeth and hair, and scampered off for breakfast with Laura.I couldn't find Harvey anywhere. As we sat down at the table, I noticed that Ron wasn't there. Harry and Hermione were. Feeling worried, I decided that best thing to do was go over and ask. Ask Hermione, that is. She's not so bad once you get used to her. And, of course, Ron thinks she's the absolute best.
"Hermione. Have you seen Ron?" I asked her quietly.
"What Ginny? Sorry. No I have not seen your brother." Hermione replied huffily, and dug into her eggs. I winced. They must have gotten into a fight again. That would explain Ron's absence. He was probably sulking somewhere. I sighed, my brother can be a complete git, but sometimes I feel myself pitying him. He just isn't good with girls.
"Whatever he said, Hermione, I don't think he meant it." I said, and had to snort back laughter when I saw her face, because I knew I had hit the nail on the head, so to speak. Unfortunately, I didn't have long to enjoy it. Just then Ron stormed in, and I saw, to my amazement, that he was holding Harry the cat by the scruff of his neck. Harry the cat was hissing and spitting madly, and I saw that he had some feathers stuck to his head. I grimaced, thinking I knew why Ron was mad.
"GINNY!" Ron yelled, causing most of the students to look at him, then at me. I sighed. Embarrassment, it seemed, had not had it's fill of Ginny Weasley. I waited for Ron to storm over to me, and hand me Harry the Cat angrily.
"Your bloody animal ate my owl!" he sputtered.
"That impossible, Harry's much smarter than that. Pig would give him indigestion." I growled. I am not fond of Ron's owl, affectionately called Pig. I used to think it was cute, until it ruined my 5 page charms essay. Now, I'd be rather glad if it met the business end of someone's wand. Preferably mine.
"Ginny! Hullo?" Ron waved his hand in front of my face.
"Yes? What?" I snapped. Oh yeah, the owl. "Harry didn't eat your owl." I said.
"I should hope not." Harry chimed in, earning a dirty look from Ron.
"Harry has better sense than to eat Pig."
"I dunno, I rather like pork…" Harry said, trying to be funny. This time, I glared at him. People who try to be funny at unfunny moments annoy me. I am in a constant state of annoyance.
"Ron, I am sure Harry didn't eat Pig. He probably caught some other bird to devour. I am sure you'll find Pig in the owlry if you look. Have you looked, or did you just assume that he had been eaten?" I demanded.
Ron's face turned as red as his Weasley trademark hair, but he turned around and stormed off while I suppressed the urge to throw a croissant at his head. Stupid git.
"Ginny!" Harvey hollered, charging over in that charming way she has of moving; the way the makes people jump out of her path as swiftly as possible. Harvey is not an elegant person, which is another reason why I like her so much.
I grunted something around the wad of food I had stuffed in my mouth, and flashed Harvey an eggy grin.
"Ginny, that's gross. But guess what's worse?" Harvey said. I shrugged. Guessing where Harvey is concerned is fruitless.
"We have DOUBLE POTIONS first thing with the slime of the slime, the SLYTHERINS!" She shrieked loudly enough for everyone to hear. I glanced quickly over at the Slytherins. There was that "mortal enemy" of Ron's, glaring contemptuously at Harvey as if he could disintegrate her with one glare. Or undress her with his eyes. Ewwww. I'd have to tell Harvey. She'd probably kill me. Or worse, yell it out so everyone would know what I had been thinking. Besides, he had looked away, and I realized that I was staring. I quickly looked back at Harvey.
"…like wet start fireworks, or itching power-"
"Or just forgetting about doing anything on our first day back because neither of us wants to get detention." I cut in.
"Oh Ginner-"
"-don't call me that"
"-Ginner, come on! Live a little."
"My name's Ginny." I retorted, bouncing some toast off of Harvey's nose.
"Alright, Ginny will you please do something to the Slytherins with me? For fun, for glory, for the hilarity of seeing those slimy slimebags-"
"Slimy slimebags, how original"
"Seeing those fantastic gits faces when we do something abnormally horrid to them would be the perfect start, don't you think, Ginner?" I gave up on trying to correct my name, and on trying to talk her out of it, and nodded.
"Grrrrrreat!" Harvey leapt up with unguarded enthusiasm, pulling me with her.
"Where are we going?" I asked, already knowing that my breakfast would go unfinished, as it had every first day of school since I had befriended Harvey.
"To the library Ginner, to get out that trusty ol' curse book!" she cried, sweeping me past the house tables and down to the library. I grabbed my cat on the way out, much to his protests to be left to the rest of my bacon.
In case your wondering the 'Trusty ol' Curse book' is a book that Harvey discovered in her first year, and shared with me after. The names of people who have taken it out are vastly outweighed by our names. We've each taken it out to use different curses on different people over the years. The most recent borrowing of this book was the year before, right before the end of year ball. We used it to curse little Dennis Creevy to grow a mustache when he wouldn't leave me alone. But the curse backfired, Dennis loved the mustache so much, he cried when it disappeared, and begged us to put a permeate one on him. That little boy is so strange, sometimes I wonder if there isn't something wrong with him.
We entered the library, and dragged the curse book off of one of the shelves. As we signed it out, Madame Pince shook her head. She knows what we use it for, I am quite sure. It's just she hates the Slytherins as much as we do, and she likes to see them suffer. Or she likes to watch Harvey and me get detention. One of the two.
"Look Ginny! This one looks good, and you should be able to memorize it quickly." Harvey said, pointing to one.
"Me?" I demanded, scanning the curse quickly.
"Yeah. I can't do it. McGonagall said if I get detention in the first week of school again she'll suspend me from going to Hogsmeade."
"But that means I get detention." I pouted, already knowing that, one way or another, Harvey would convince me to do it.
"Please Ginner! Pleeeeeeeease?" Harvey grabbed my arm, and smiled winningly. I sighed. "I knew you'd do it Ginner! Now, it won't take long to memorize, so hurry up, or we'll be late!" Harvey said, pushing the book to me. I sighed again, much louder this time, and bent over to memorize the curse. My first day back, and already, I was destined for detention. Things were looking vaguely interesting, even if I seemed to be following in Gred and Forge- I mean, Fred and George's titanic-sized footsteps.
A/N has anyone ever heard the Switchblade Kittens 'Ode to Harry Potter'? It's "Ginny" singing about how much she likes Harry, and it's so cute! I love it!
About Titanic, I figured that Ginny would know about it…it was a pretty big disaster, was it not?
Any idea for this fic will be welcomed. I don't usually say it, but I am now. Also, if you think it's a good idea to a) switch POV's ex Ginny to Ron to Harry or b) stick to Ginny's POV