The Frog Princess
(Ginny's Story)

by Frog-Princess
(ginny@darkcastle.com)



Disclaimer: Everything but the plot belongs to J. K. Rowling, creator of Harry Potter, not me.



Chapter Three



Ginny had been so exhausted that she'd fallen asleep without bothering to change out of her robes. When she awoke, the room was already filled with sunlight. She inhaled deeply, sat up, and stretched. She automatically looked to the window, wondering how she could have forgotten the serene beauty of the morning as the light shone down on the surrounding landscape.

She took a quick shower, got dressed, and glanced hopelessly at her reflection in the mirror. A few girls remained asleep, so Ginny left quietly, hoping she'd have enough time to grab a quick breakfast before her first class.

It wasn't as late as she'd thought; there were a few small groups of students scattered around the Gryffindor common room, apparently getting ready to go to breakfast. Ginny quickly spotted her brother Ron, who was holding the portrait open so Hermione could step out.

"Hey, Gin," Ron said, and Ginny returned the greeting. "We were just going to the Great Hall for breakfast. Harry's already gone down." Ron continued politely holding open the portrait of the Fat Lady.

Hermione smiled. "I think he wanted to talk to you, Ginny," she said with a wink. Ginny's heart skipped a beat. Harry wants to see me? she thought.

"Why don't you go down there now and find him," Ron suggested, "and we'll meet up with you in a few minutes?" Ginny agreed, and the minute she was gone, Ron made his way to the back of the room to find the twins. Hermione hung back, waiting for Ron, though mostly because she was curious to see just what he thought he was doing. She could hear him talking to them quietly, but couldn't tell what was being said. She took a few steps closer.

"I know, I know," Ron admitted impatiently, "You were just trying to make a joke. And you've been loads better about it. But can't you just... I dunno..." He cast around for the right words. "...Include her once in a while?" He bit his lip. "It's not that you embarrass her. You know Ginny, she's usually got a sense of humor. But I think she's feeling really left out."

The twins exchanged glances, suddenly very serious. Fred raised an eyebrow. "What're you getting at, Ron?"

Ron sighed. "You don't know what it's like," he began slowly, "not to be noticed in your own family... to have so much to live up to. It comes naturally to the two of you. Believe it or not, Ginny actually looks up to you. Can't you just include her in a few of your pranks or something, rather than laughing at her?"

He hung his head sadly. "You... you could even use me as a target," he said, "as long as you try to help her feel better about things. This is a tough time... and you know how nervous she gets," he added in an even softer tone, "about... You-Know-Who..."

This concluded Ron's speech, and Fred and George were silent for a moment. "What's with you? Since when are you so over-protective of Ginny?" Fred asked, bewildered, turning to George. "Either he's dying or he's gone insane!"

"Couldn't agree more," said George, "though he may have a point. It's a bit much, that's all."

Fred scowled. "We didn't make her feel bad on purpose." But he seemed to be considering what his brothers had said.

"You're pathetic, Ronniekins."

Ron shrugged, knowing this meant they were giving in. "I don't care."

He turned away and walked towards the portrait hole, where Hermione was still waiting for him. "Alright, we can leave now," he said casually.

"Wait, Ron." Ron froze, but he soon saw that Fred was grinning at him. "We won't do anything to you."

Finally, Ron nodded slowly and smiled. "...Appreciate it," he said.

"And Ron?" added George.

"Yeah?"

"This conversation never happened. Got it?"

Ron's grin broadened. "Got it."

A feeling of satisfaction washed over him as he and Hermione exited the common room. "I was a pretty good big brother back there, I reckon," he joked, though he was grinning proudly.



Harry had a plateful of food in front of him, but he wasn't hungry, and barely ate. He spotted a flash of red hair and looked up to see Ginny Weasley standing beside him.

"Good morning, Ginny," he said automatically.

"Er... morning, Harry," replied Ginny in a quiet tone. There was an awkward silence.

"You... look nice today," Harry offered.

Ginny brushed a few strands of hair over her shoulder, blushing shyly. "Um, thank you," she mumbled. "Ron and Hermione said you wanted to talk to me about something?" Suddenly Harry remembered. "Oh - yeah," he said quickly. "About yesterday--"

"No, Harry, I really should--"

Ginny stopped as Ron and Hermione came towards them, each blushing deep red. A few of the Gryffindors whistled or clapped as the two walked past, arm-in-arm. They did their best to ignore this and hurriedly took their seats.

Harry smirked, received a nasty glare from Ron, and decided it was best not to say anything. He turned to Ginny, who looked rather pleased at seeing Ron and Hermione together. "Where was I?" Harry asked.

Ron and Hermione's eyes met, and each of them smiled briefly before looking away. Ginny almost laughed at this. "Oh... right, well... I was just going to say..." Ginny trailed off. She stole a sideways glance at Harry and thought for a moment. "It can wait," she said finally, a faint smile on her face as she took a seat at the table and started on her breakfast.