Author's note- You know what's weird? Between Middle school, Acting school,
creative classes at Purdue University, solving all of my best friend's
problems, being lead singer of a rock band (burnt rubber), being in an
advanced math class, my crush/best friend making my heart beat out of my
chest, and loads of homework, I STILL find time for writing. How DO I do
it? Wonders never cease.
The next morning was Saturday, and everyone slept in a few hours from exhaustion from the extra loads of homework each teacher had assigned.
Tomorrow was the Hogsmeade visit, and Ginny smiled to herself in bed thinking about how her "secret plan" would be perfect.
The only problem was-she grimaced- finding the money for the materials she needed.
By materials, she basically meant new robes and jewelry. She wasn't quite sure if it would work the way she hoped, however.
Looks were just one small detail. She knew quite well that once this was put into action, she would need to come out of her shell completely.
Her friends would surely help her- that is if she HAD any. Most people still thought her evil from her first year.
In fact, she couldn't think of one other sixth year who she could consider a friend.
She gave a shuddering sigh and one small, diamond tear rolled down her left eye.
The only real friends she had were Harry (who thought of her as a little sister, she reminded herself), Hermione, and Ron.
Harry.
The Harry that she had watched play Quidditch spectacularly in the clearing beside her house, urged to take a ride herself.
The Harry that she had ran beside the train in her first year until it left the station just to catch a glimpse of him.
The Harry that took her heart carelessly and broke it over his knee without knowing he did anything wrong.
Yet she still loved him.
Sometimes she had no idea why, she had no idea why she loved him the way she did.
A few seldom moments in her life, she wondered what life would be like if she had a crush on a boy besides Harry; Collin Creevy, for example.
Collin had grown quite handsome the past years, puberty adding muscles to his body as he grew a foot a year.
Collin and Ginny were good friends, and now that she thought about it, she DID have one friend in her year.
But somehow, she knew deep down that he still did not trust her like the others.
Ginny didn't really think of him as the type that she fancied, however. He was just a friend, and always would be.
After a while, her thoughts shifted back to Harry as they had done so many times before. She wondered if he was up yet.
Probably, Ginny thought as she read her clock. Nine. She crawled out of bed and padded to the common room.
She found Ron, Harry and Hermione sitting to the left of the fire in a wide couch.
Ron was polishing his prefect badge, Hermione was pretending to read an upside down book while Ron's elbow constantly bumped into hers, and Harry was watching the two of them with delight.
"Lo, Everyone!" said Ginny cheerfully. "Hello, Gin," said Hermione in a ever-so-slightly squeaky voice as Ron sneezed on his badge, mumbling words under his breath.
"Ron, if you're so incredibly sick, then why don't you just go down to Madam Promfery?" said Ginny.
"You know that woman," Ron said. "She'll probably keep me in the beds for a week."
Harry stifled a laugh. Ron had no idea what he was missing out on; he was still pining over the girl that was in his dormitories that night, and here she was, sitting next to him.
Hermione shot daggers at Harry with a glaring stare. He quieted quickly.
"Shouldn't you be out practicing, Harry?" asked Hermione, finally noticing her book was upside down and turning it over.
"I will soon enough, Hermione. I've got two weeks still," said Harry. Hermione shook her head.
"You ALWAYS wait until the last minute. I swear, if a dementor came by and tried to suck your brains out, you'd tell him to wait until you finished your game of exploding snap," said Hermione.
"No he wouldn't," said Ron. "He would be playing gobstones."
"And how do you know that?" asked Ginny.
"Because that's the only one of his games I haven't broken yet."
* * *
After a hardy breakfast, the four of them walked onto the frosty grounds to enjoy the morning, since there was nothing better to do.
Harry half wanted to tell Ron and Hermione about he and Ginny's hiding place, but thought better of it, whereas Ginny probably would not care much for the idea.
In the end, they decided to go to Hagrid's hut and chat with the good- natured gamekeeper.
As Harry knocked on the door with a frost-bitten hand, Hagrid's old dog Fang leapt at the door, happy to see his owner's friends.
"Back Fang, BACK!" Hagrid roared from the inside of the cabin.
Hagrid opened the door, one hand around fang's huge leather collar. "I was wonderin' when ye'd come ter see me!" Hagrid said merrily. "C'mon in, now. We don't want yeh freezin'!"
He ushered them inside with a trash can sized hand. As they sat at the high round table, a large smile broke out from the half giant's shaggy, graying beard that had once been pitch black.
"Hi, Hagrid!" said Ginny cheerfully.
"Ginny, Yeh've grown so big since last year!" said Hagrid. Ginny blushed.
For the next hour or so, the five occupants of the small shack laughed and reminisced happily. Hagrid had been put through many losses the past years.
His dragon being taken away, his Hippogriff scattering (with an innocent murder convict), being in Azkaban, the wizarding jail for two weeks in Harry's second year, and the death of Madam Maxime.
Madam Maxim and he had been together for the past three years when she died in an exploration to herd together the giants that would fight Voldemort.
He had taken it very hard, of course.
After many goodbyes and one last attempt to give away his crumb cake, Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione made their way back to the Gryffindor common room. * * *
"Bored out of my mind," said Ron, poking the coals in the smoldering fire that night.
He was not the only one. Everyone else had gone to bed for the night, eager for the Hogsmeade visit tomorrow.
"Can't wait until tomorrow, though," said Harry, setting his Quidditch book on the three-legged table beside him.
"Did Mcgonnogal assign that paper for Monday or Tuesday?" asked Hermione, frantically scribbling down words on a piece of parchment.
"I think it was Tuesday," Ron said. Hermione set down her quill with relief.
Ginny yawned. "I think I'll go up to bed," she said, rubbing her eyes and heading off towards the girl's corridor. Hermione followed, eager to give her her gift.
Ginny flopped onto her bed, not sure if she should be happy that tomorrow was the visit or devastated that her plan would not work without a new wardrobe.
Her thoughts were broken by a soft know on the door.
"Gin," Hermione whispered. Hermione was the only one she had told about her plan to woo Harry on Sunday. Ginny quietly walked out into the hall and closed the door.
Hermione was hiding something behind her back.
"What do you have?" Ginny asked, quite intrigued.
"Something for tomorrow," said Hermione mischievously.
Ginny heart leapt. "Let's see it, then," she squeaked.
Hermione help up a silky two piece robe. The actual robe was lavender and the halter- top dress beneath it was purple. It gleamed magically in front of Ginny's wide eyes.
"Oh, Hermione!" she squealed, trying not to wake the other girls up. She couldn't think of anything better to say and she cursed herself for it.
"You like it, right?" asked Hermione, shoving the dress into Ginny's hands. The sleek material slided in her hands. Ginny nodded, her voice caught in her throat.
"Good, said Hermione. "Because if you didn't then I couldn't give you this," she said, pulling a necklace with teardrop diamonds flowing down in the shape of an elegant triangle from her robe pocket.
Ginny gasped and took it in her hands as well.
"Now get some rest, You'll need it for all the work I'll be doing with you tomorrow," said Hermione, pushing her back into her dormitory.
The next morning was Saturday, and everyone slept in a few hours from exhaustion from the extra loads of homework each teacher had assigned.
Tomorrow was the Hogsmeade visit, and Ginny smiled to herself in bed thinking about how her "secret plan" would be perfect.
The only problem was-she grimaced- finding the money for the materials she needed.
By materials, she basically meant new robes and jewelry. She wasn't quite sure if it would work the way she hoped, however.
Looks were just one small detail. She knew quite well that once this was put into action, she would need to come out of her shell completely.
Her friends would surely help her- that is if she HAD any. Most people still thought her evil from her first year.
In fact, she couldn't think of one other sixth year who she could consider a friend.
She gave a shuddering sigh and one small, diamond tear rolled down her left eye.
The only real friends she had were Harry (who thought of her as a little sister, she reminded herself), Hermione, and Ron.
Harry.
The Harry that she had watched play Quidditch spectacularly in the clearing beside her house, urged to take a ride herself.
The Harry that she had ran beside the train in her first year until it left the station just to catch a glimpse of him.
The Harry that took her heart carelessly and broke it over his knee without knowing he did anything wrong.
Yet she still loved him.
Sometimes she had no idea why, she had no idea why she loved him the way she did.
A few seldom moments in her life, she wondered what life would be like if she had a crush on a boy besides Harry; Collin Creevy, for example.
Collin had grown quite handsome the past years, puberty adding muscles to his body as he grew a foot a year.
Collin and Ginny were good friends, and now that she thought about it, she DID have one friend in her year.
But somehow, she knew deep down that he still did not trust her like the others.
Ginny didn't really think of him as the type that she fancied, however. He was just a friend, and always would be.
After a while, her thoughts shifted back to Harry as they had done so many times before. She wondered if he was up yet.
Probably, Ginny thought as she read her clock. Nine. She crawled out of bed and padded to the common room.
She found Ron, Harry and Hermione sitting to the left of the fire in a wide couch.
Ron was polishing his prefect badge, Hermione was pretending to read an upside down book while Ron's elbow constantly bumped into hers, and Harry was watching the two of them with delight.
"Lo, Everyone!" said Ginny cheerfully. "Hello, Gin," said Hermione in a ever-so-slightly squeaky voice as Ron sneezed on his badge, mumbling words under his breath.
"Ron, if you're so incredibly sick, then why don't you just go down to Madam Promfery?" said Ginny.
"You know that woman," Ron said. "She'll probably keep me in the beds for a week."
Harry stifled a laugh. Ron had no idea what he was missing out on; he was still pining over the girl that was in his dormitories that night, and here she was, sitting next to him.
Hermione shot daggers at Harry with a glaring stare. He quieted quickly.
"Shouldn't you be out practicing, Harry?" asked Hermione, finally noticing her book was upside down and turning it over.
"I will soon enough, Hermione. I've got two weeks still," said Harry. Hermione shook her head.
"You ALWAYS wait until the last minute. I swear, if a dementor came by and tried to suck your brains out, you'd tell him to wait until you finished your game of exploding snap," said Hermione.
"No he wouldn't," said Ron. "He would be playing gobstones."
"And how do you know that?" asked Ginny.
"Because that's the only one of his games I haven't broken yet."
* * *
After a hardy breakfast, the four of them walked onto the frosty grounds to enjoy the morning, since there was nothing better to do.
Harry half wanted to tell Ron and Hermione about he and Ginny's hiding place, but thought better of it, whereas Ginny probably would not care much for the idea.
In the end, they decided to go to Hagrid's hut and chat with the good- natured gamekeeper.
As Harry knocked on the door with a frost-bitten hand, Hagrid's old dog Fang leapt at the door, happy to see his owner's friends.
"Back Fang, BACK!" Hagrid roared from the inside of the cabin.
Hagrid opened the door, one hand around fang's huge leather collar. "I was wonderin' when ye'd come ter see me!" Hagrid said merrily. "C'mon in, now. We don't want yeh freezin'!"
He ushered them inside with a trash can sized hand. As they sat at the high round table, a large smile broke out from the half giant's shaggy, graying beard that had once been pitch black.
"Hi, Hagrid!" said Ginny cheerfully.
"Ginny, Yeh've grown so big since last year!" said Hagrid. Ginny blushed.
For the next hour or so, the five occupants of the small shack laughed and reminisced happily. Hagrid had been put through many losses the past years.
His dragon being taken away, his Hippogriff scattering (with an innocent murder convict), being in Azkaban, the wizarding jail for two weeks in Harry's second year, and the death of Madam Maxime.
Madam Maxim and he had been together for the past three years when she died in an exploration to herd together the giants that would fight Voldemort.
He had taken it very hard, of course.
After many goodbyes and one last attempt to give away his crumb cake, Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione made their way back to the Gryffindor common room. * * *
"Bored out of my mind," said Ron, poking the coals in the smoldering fire that night.
He was not the only one. Everyone else had gone to bed for the night, eager for the Hogsmeade visit tomorrow.
"Can't wait until tomorrow, though," said Harry, setting his Quidditch book on the three-legged table beside him.
"Did Mcgonnogal assign that paper for Monday or Tuesday?" asked Hermione, frantically scribbling down words on a piece of parchment.
"I think it was Tuesday," Ron said. Hermione set down her quill with relief.
Ginny yawned. "I think I'll go up to bed," she said, rubbing her eyes and heading off towards the girl's corridor. Hermione followed, eager to give her her gift.
Ginny flopped onto her bed, not sure if she should be happy that tomorrow was the visit or devastated that her plan would not work without a new wardrobe.
Her thoughts were broken by a soft know on the door.
"Gin," Hermione whispered. Hermione was the only one she had told about her plan to woo Harry on Sunday. Ginny quietly walked out into the hall and closed the door.
Hermione was hiding something behind her back.
"What do you have?" Ginny asked, quite intrigued.
"Something for tomorrow," said Hermione mischievously.
Ginny heart leapt. "Let's see it, then," she squeaked.
Hermione help up a silky two piece robe. The actual robe was lavender and the halter- top dress beneath it was purple. It gleamed magically in front of Ginny's wide eyes.
"Oh, Hermione!" she squealed, trying not to wake the other girls up. She couldn't think of anything better to say and she cursed herself for it.
"You like it, right?" asked Hermione, shoving the dress into Ginny's hands. The sleek material slided in her hands. Ginny nodded, her voice caught in her throat.
"Good, said Hermione. "Because if you didn't then I couldn't give you this," she said, pulling a necklace with teardrop diamonds flowing down in the shape of an elegant triangle from her robe pocket.
Ginny gasped and took it in her hands as well.
"Now get some rest, You'll need it for all the work I'll be doing with you tomorrow," said Hermione, pushing her back into her dormitory.