The Sisterhood Ch. 7

Harry was woken up the next morning by Ron's not-so-soft voice.

"Harry, you awake mate?"

Harry reached for his glasses because the shadows in the room were blurring badly. When things came into focus, he realized that it was no fault of his vision, but that the entire room was dark.

"Ron, what's the idea? It must be before dawn!" Harry sat up and stretched.

"It's just about sunrise. Mum will be in here in half an hour to wake us up. Never mind that, we need to talk."

"'Bout what?"

"Ginny. You went out to get her last night. How was she? How did you get her inside?"

"She was fine, Ron. She was more worried about you being hurt than anything else. She thought you were mad at her because she couldn't tell you. I explained to her that you weren't angry and she came inside."

"She looked pretty upset when she left. Did she, ya know, lose control, like Dumbledore said?"

"I think she might have. Lightning struck the ground in the area that I found her."

"God, what's happening to her? I am a little mad. Not at her, really, but because she can't tell me. I mean, she just disappeared, Harry. No letters, no nothing. Now she shows up and Dumbledore tells us that she has new magic; and what is she doing for them to deserve a pension?"

"I don't know, Ron, and Ginny can't tell, so don't ask. He didn't say that she had new magic, just new abilities."

"Come on, Harry. What other kind of 'abilities' would a witch have?"

"I really don't think this has anything to do with magic. Well, maybe it does, just not our magic."

"What are you going on about?" Asked Ron, giving Harry an odd look. "You don't know something I don't, do you?"

"No! I've just spent a lot of time thinking about this, that's all."

Mrs. Weasley came in then, and seeing the boys up and dressed she announced breakfast.

"Come on down, boys. Arthur will get your trunks."

Harry and Ron found the rest of the Weasley family sitting around the table. Fred and George looked very tired and bedraggled. Ginny however was looking very cute, in Harry's opinion. She was dressed in a white button down with a heather gray sweater-vest over it, a maroon and gold skirt that went to her knees, white knee-highs (not that Harry was looking at her legs), and small buckle shoes. She had tied a maroon ribbon in her hair. The symbol was still visible, but Harry had gotten used to it by now. He wondered how the other students would react to it.

"Ginny was up before all of us." Mrs. Weasley said as the boys sat down to their French toast. "She fixed breakfast. Well, aren't you going to say thank you?"

All of the Weasley brothers present mumbled a very sleepy statement of gratitude. Harry, however, looked up and gave her a grateful grin. She blushed a bit and began to clear her plate from the table.

"Are you flirting with our sister, Potter?" Fred asked, suddenly awake.

The plate Ginny was carrying crashed into the sink with a very loud clink. She rounded on Fred, her eyes flashing.

"Just because Harry is a gentleman and knows how to be properly thankful DOES NOT mean that he is FLIRTING. Even if he was, I would thank you to keep your nose in your own business!"

Her signal flashed a bright green. Mrs. Weasley, looking worried, put her hand on Ginny's shoulder.

"Gin, it's not as bad as all that."

"Yeah, Gin. We're thankful. We're just used to you being sweet and kind and making awesome breakfasts." George said, covering his brother's behind. Harry was beginning to see why Professor Dumbledore said not to upset her. It was quite an easy thing to do to, though.

"Gin, love, you really need to get control of your temper. You can't go off pouncing on people." Mr. Weasley said, entering the room.

"Yeah, you might have to murder Malfoy. Wait, scratch that, no one would care." Hermione said.

"Don't worry about it, Dad. I just expect more from them because they know better. Malfoy's always going to be a jerk. I've learned to live with that."

The occupants of the room shared a laugh.

"Well, time to be off. It'll take two hours to get to King's Cross, and it's already 8:00. Last check now. All of your other things are in the cars."

After a last check of their persons, they stepped outside to find two very flashy cars. They looked extremely fast. They were both blue.

Ginny laughed. "Let me guess. Haruka?"

Setsuna laughed from behind them. She was wearing a black polo style dress and had left her staff at, well, where ever she came from.

"You guessed it. She said, and I quote, 'I won't have one of my sisters traveling in one of those old ugly cars.' She lent two of her own."

Ginny shook her head.

"I'm just here to be sure that you've gotten everything."

"Yes, of course. Thank Amy for the extra books, Michiru for the dress robes, and Rei for the owl pendant. They were all really nice."

"Of course. Michiru was as bad as Haruka. She saw those green dress robes and she was sure that you couldn't live without them, especially now that you can actually go to the balls. I personally think the robes will suit you well, but Mina and Rei thought they should have been shorter. It took me forever to convince them that they didn't make short dress robes. Ah, well. Have a good term, Lady Virginia."

She dissappearated. Fred and George, at Mrs. Weasley's request, shared a car with their parents and Ron, Hermione, and Ginny piled into the other one. It was very large and comfy. The driver was a young woman. Probably one of Haruka's racing mates.

"Lady Virginia?" Ron asked.

"Nickname." Ginny replied.

The reached King's Cross without too much trouble, other than the sparks that issued from the car that George and Fred were riding in. Harry suspected that Mrs. Weasley was telling them off even after they had reached King's Cross. The drivers made to help get the trunks out of the car and Mr. Weasley told them that it really wasn't necessary. The drivers, however, persisted. They were under orders they said. Ginny immediately knew what had happened. Haruka must have told them to help to keep Ginny from straining herself.

"That will be all, we can handle it." She said testily.

"If you say so, m'lady." They replied in unison.

"Lady?" George inquired.

"It's a nickname." Ginny snapped. With that, she turned and began to lead her trunk away on its trolley. Harry noticed that there was a cage there that he hadn't noticed before. He strode up beside her.

"New pet?" He asked, making her jump.

"Yes, its name is Zeus."

"Owl?" Harry asked as they neared the barrier.

"No. Hawk. It was a gift." She said, with an edge to her voice. Harry thought that they were only allowed owls as far as birds go. He wanted to ask, but Ginny was already annoyed with him, so he didn't. As they passed the barrier they were greeted with the familiar site of the Hogwarts Express. They were followed closely by the twins and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. As the Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, and George loaded their things onto the train, Mrs. Weasley pulled Ginny aside.

"Just barely got you home, and off you go again. Listen to me Gin. Professor Dumbledore told me all about where you've been and who you are. Be responsible with it…and try not to hurt Malfoy."

"Yes, Mum." She turned to leave and her mother called to her again.

"Try not to hurt him too bad, that is." Ginny turned around and gave her mom a big smile. Molly was crying. After she had disappeared, Mrs. Weasley turned to her husband.

"I knew that she would grow up, and I knew that she would do something special, but I never expected this. We have to worry about her just as much as we worry about Harry."

"Love, you heard what Albus said that Pluto predicted. I think that Ginny can hold her own, and she'll help Harry. They're in love, they just don't know it yet." With his arm around his wife, Arthur Weasley's eyes became watery.

On the Hogwarts Express, Ginny joined Harry, Ron, and Hermione in their compartment. Harry put her trunk in the overhead compartment and she sat down beside him. How they got in this position, Ginny didn't know. Usually it was Harry and Ron on one side and Hermione on the other. Her only conclusion was what she had suspected all along. It was obvious. Ron liked Hermione. She made a mental note to write Venus and ask for advice on the matter. They enjoyed a bit of pleasant conversation, some sweets when the cart came around, and some discreet glances at their respective crushes. They had finally settled down to a game of Exploding Snap (Ron and Harry) and a discussion of the latest article in Witch Weekly (Hermione and Ginny) when the most unwanted visitor one could have made his appearance.

"So Gin, just had to have a mark on your forehead like Potter, did you."

Ginny was complacent.

"Jealous are you Malfoy? Harry and I both have distinguishing marks, and you are just a copy of your father." Harry looked at Ginny with astonishment apparent on his face. Ron was a little less cool.

"Who gave you permission to call my sister by her nickname, Malfoy?"

"What? Potter can but I can't?"

"Damn straight." Harry said.

"Your language, Potter. Disgraceful. What would your Mum say? Oh, that's right, she went and got herself killed for you."

Harry just barely had time to draw his wand before Ginny had Malfoy by the collar of his shirt. She lifted him up off of the ground.

"You look surprised, Malfoy. Didn't know that I could do this, did you? Well, let me tell you something you had better remember. If you ever speak of Harry OR his mum in that manner again you will wish to God that you had never met me. I'll be on you like white on rice in a glass of milk on a paper plate in a snowstorm, and that's a promise." (AN: Props to who knows what movie that came from.) With that she positively threw him out the door, which had magically opened, and into the doors of the compartment across the hall. The entire company sat in awed silence until Malfoy returned with Professor Snape. They all stared at him, except Ginny, who still had the look of disgust on her face that she had had since dealing with Malfoy.

"Don't look so surprised. I came along as an extra guard for our celebrities."

"Professor, Ginny over there threw me into the doors. And," he added with a look of glee on his face, "Potter was cursing."

"Do you mean to tell me that Miss Weasley was strong and quick enough to throw you into these doors, and that Potter really bothered you with his cursing?"

Malfoy looked as if he was fighting a raging internal battle. He was caught between getting a Weasley and his worst enemy in trouble and injuring his pride. With a look of anguish, he shook his head no.

"That what I thought." He turned to go, but thought better of it.

"Mr. Malfoy, if Miss Weasley did do as you claimed, I would suggest you abstain from provoking her. Also," he said with a very disgusted expression, "five points from Sly…Sly…Slytherin for being out of your compartment." Harry's eyes became as wide as quarters. Would wonders never cease? Snape taking points from Slytherin, on Malfoy's behavior to beat all! With a self-satisfied nod the Potions Master left those students. He had a bit of trouble there, but he basically saved face. Malfoy left the compartment with a look of disbelief on his face. Ron looked at Ginny with a look of surprise and respect on his face. He slowly stood and enveloped Ginny in a hug. With a tone of awe in his voice he said, "I love you, Gin."

Later, when they got to the school, the news was already all over. The Gryffindor table cheered when Ginny stepped into the room, and Fred and George insisted that she sit between them and made her a banner that flashed 'Apprentice Genius' in maroon and gold. They bragged about how they always knew that she was a little spitfire and how they had known that she would take Malfoy down a couple of pegs.

"We're just glad that we didn't get it this time." George had added at some point.

Ginny's smile was a mile wide during the whole feast and only got wider when Harry said, "Congratulations, Gin! You are now officially the pride of Gryffindor House!"