Ginny woke to the faint noise of birds singing beyond her closed window.
She peeked through the divide in her hangings-no one else was up yet.
Slipping a thin, silky nightgown over her head, she walked over to the window beside her in worn, lavender slippers that used to be royal purple.
Sparkling frost covered the window so that the sun cast a comfortable, pastel-ish glow on her bed, which was closest to the wall.
She peered out the ice-covered windows to the grounds below her.
There was the lake, the sun reflecting over its glistening green water. The whomping willow was slumbering peacefully (something it seldom ever did).
Hagrid's hut was emitting large puffs of smoke from a slightly bent chimney on the side of the grounds. Hogwarts was exactly the same as it had been six years ago.
She was about to pull the curtains closed when something quite unusual caught her eye.
Something transparent and white was floating above the forbidden forest.
And-no, it couldn't be- was it getting closer? Yes, It most definitely was. In fact, it looked like it was heading straight for Ginny's dorm window.
As it flew closer with growing speed, Ginny saw that it was the ghost of a girl in a lacy dress.
She had short hair just below her ears that flew behind her. She looked no older than eighteen at most.
Ginny noticed that she was mouthing something. It looked like- "Lers? Lores?
The ghost girl was about a hundred feet away from her now.
And then she heard it- in a small, echoed voice- LARS.
The ghost was saying Lars. She flew still- eighty feet away, she grew louder- sixty feet, louder still- forty feet, she was screaming- when the ghost was ten feet away, Ginny ducked below her window as the ghost flew into her dormitory.
The ghost took no notice of Ginny or her sleeping female friends as she screamed again. "Lars!" she screeched.
She flew through the other side of the room and disappeared. Ginny stared Wide eyes at where the ghost had gone through the far wall.
Her other roommates were still slumbering happily in their beds. The screaming had been so loud- hadn't it woken them?
She walked, eyes still bulging, to her dresser and pulled on her robes.
She walked through the door leading to the common room. "Right then," she said to herself.
What a way to start out the school year.
* * *
Ron jumped down the last three steps to the common room, which was partly filled with Gryffindor students looking over their course schedules or eating bits of bacon or toast from the great hall.
He was just about to flop onto a red, overstuffed sofa when Harry dangled his prefect badge in front of his nose from behind.
Ron rolled his eyes but took it despite himself.
He tried to pin it to the front of his robes but pricked his finger instead.
"Oh, for heaven's sake!" said Hermione exasperatedly, who was sitting on a nearby chair; reading, as usual.
"What's your problem?" Ron asked. Hermione ignored him.
She closed her book and walked swiftly over to him, pretending to be annoyed. She took the badge from his hand, her face reddening, and grabbed a handful of his robes.
She pulled on them instinctively and he moved closer to her, not giving it a second thought.
She pinned the golden "P" to him with ease.
"There," Hermione said, looking at the floor, sure her face would give away her feelings. Now let's get some breakfast."
Slipping a thin, silky nightgown over her head, she walked over to the window beside her in worn, lavender slippers that used to be royal purple.
Sparkling frost covered the window so that the sun cast a comfortable, pastel-ish glow on her bed, which was closest to the wall.
She peered out the ice-covered windows to the grounds below her.
There was the lake, the sun reflecting over its glistening green water. The whomping willow was slumbering peacefully (something it seldom ever did).
Hagrid's hut was emitting large puffs of smoke from a slightly bent chimney on the side of the grounds. Hogwarts was exactly the same as it had been six years ago.
She was about to pull the curtains closed when something quite unusual caught her eye.
Something transparent and white was floating above the forbidden forest.
And-no, it couldn't be- was it getting closer? Yes, It most definitely was. In fact, it looked like it was heading straight for Ginny's dorm window.
As it flew closer with growing speed, Ginny saw that it was the ghost of a girl in a lacy dress.
She had short hair just below her ears that flew behind her. She looked no older than eighteen at most.
Ginny noticed that she was mouthing something. It looked like- "Lers? Lores?
The ghost girl was about a hundred feet away from her now.
And then she heard it- in a small, echoed voice- LARS.
The ghost was saying Lars. She flew still- eighty feet away, she grew louder- sixty feet, louder still- forty feet, she was screaming- when the ghost was ten feet away, Ginny ducked below her window as the ghost flew into her dormitory.
The ghost took no notice of Ginny or her sleeping female friends as she screamed again. "Lars!" she screeched.
She flew through the other side of the room and disappeared. Ginny stared Wide eyes at where the ghost had gone through the far wall.
Her other roommates were still slumbering happily in their beds. The screaming had been so loud- hadn't it woken them?
She walked, eyes still bulging, to her dresser and pulled on her robes.
She walked through the door leading to the common room. "Right then," she said to herself.
What a way to start out the school year.
* * *
Ron jumped down the last three steps to the common room, which was partly filled with Gryffindor students looking over their course schedules or eating bits of bacon or toast from the great hall.
He was just about to flop onto a red, overstuffed sofa when Harry dangled his prefect badge in front of his nose from behind.
Ron rolled his eyes but took it despite himself.
He tried to pin it to the front of his robes but pricked his finger instead.
"Oh, for heaven's sake!" said Hermione exasperatedly, who was sitting on a nearby chair; reading, as usual.
"What's your problem?" Ron asked. Hermione ignored him.
She closed her book and walked swiftly over to him, pretending to be annoyed. She took the badge from his hand, her face reddening, and grabbed a handful of his robes.
She pulled on them instinctively and he moved closer to her, not giving it a second thought.
She pinned the golden "P" to him with ease.
"There," Hermione said, looking at the floor, sure her face would give away her feelings. Now let's get some breakfast."