****I own nothing! Everything belongs to J.K. Rowling except for Rylie, Leikela, Dinah, and Katherine whom were my own creations!
Chapter 2, First Day Back
Ginny, with Hermione beside her, hurried through the gateway onto platform 9¾. They only had five minutes to spare before the scarlet steam engine would leave. Both girls hurriedly pushed their trolley's forward and soon their things were being placed quickly into the side compartments. Harry and Ron joined them a moment later and then Mrs. Weasley showered the four of them in loving kisses.
"Mum we have to go", Ron said trying to tug away from his mother.
"Yes, yes", she said with a sigh. "The four of you behave yourselves! Ron! Harry! I mean it, I don't want a letter this year!"
"Yes mum!"
The four students hurried onto the train just as it had started to leave. Ginny sighed and followed the three down the hall and past full compartments of chattering Hogwarts students.
They quickly found an empty compartment and slid the door shut. Ginny flopped down into a seat and sighed gratefully. The entire morning had been rushed and Ginny found herself out of breath. Beside her Hermione was leaning against the window with her eyes closed.
"I was never this rushed at my house", Ginny heard her murmur and Ginny chuckled.
Harry and Ron sank down into seats opposite of the two girls and then began to have a deeply in depth conversation about Quidditch once again.
Ginny stared at them in disbelief for a moment before shaking her head.
"Is that all they ever talk about?" She asked Hermione who was opening up on of her school books.
Hermione looked up at the two boys and then grinned and laughed.
"Yes, or they're talking about something that could get us killed".
Hermione shook her head lightly and then began to scan the pages of her glossy new transfiguration book. Ginny sighed and knew that she wouldn't be getting any conversations in with Hermione, or the two boys… Maybe if she made the Gryffindor team she'd be able to join in with the boys. But not just yet.
Ginny slowly stood up and walked to the compartment door.
"Where are you going Ginny?" Harry's curious voice from behind her asked.
Ginny felt her face burn with colour so she didn't turn around.
"Oh… I'm just going to go and see if I can find any of the fifth year girls".
She hurriedly left the compartment and slid the door shut with a snap. Just as she lifted her head however their was a blinding flash and Ginny could only see splotches all around her.
"Collin!" She groaned rubbing her eyes. "What are you doing?"
"Hey Ginny", a mouse-like boy standing in front of her said cheerfully. "I decided that I should take pictures of people when they're not expecting it or when they don't know it, I think it's more natural".
"Oh", she muttered rubbing her eyes until she could see properly once again. "How was your summer?"
The two began to walk slowly down the train hall together. Collin shrugged but looked quite happy.
"It was okay Gin", he said happily. "I made another photo album. My parents love it. What about you? Did you do anything this summer?"
"Not really", Ginny said but felt herself blush, since she had spent most of the summer gazing out at Harry. "I got new robes", she then said happily.
"Great", Collin said with a grin. "I can't wait to see them, I'm going to go see if I can get a picture of Harry okay? And when you have your new robes on, I'm going to take lots of pictures of you!"
"Okay", she said with a nod and Collin hurried away, back to the other side of the train.
Ginny sighed and pushed her hands into her jean pockets. She stared down at her old sneakers and began to walk towards the compartment that the fifth year girls always took. However when she was walking she did not notice a compartment door just in front of her slide open.
Draco Malfoy and his goons, Crabbe and Goyle, emerged and Ginny walked straight into an unsuspecting Malfoy. Ginny stumbled backwards as she had the last time she had met with Malfoy, but this time she fell hard to the ground with a loud thump.
Crabbe and Goyle laughed stupidly and Malfoy looked down at her with the deepest look of annoyance.
Ginny looked up at him with her brown eyes wide. Draco had grown very tall and had become quite built over the summer as well, he towered over Ginny. He was already dressed in his school robes and uniform. His white blonde hair was slicked back as usual and his grey eyes compared to his pale skin seemed almost bright.
"Watch where you're going Weasley", he spat as though she were something disgusting no one wanted to look at.
"You watch where you're going Malfoy!" She barked back surprising herself as she pushed herself quickly up off the ground, she knew her cheeks were bright red.
Ginny then felt herself pale, she did indeed have her wand on her, but Malfoy was older and taller then her. He was at least a complete head taller then herself, and his friends were even taller then him.
Malfoy's eyes flickered at her comment and he stared down at her with distaste.
"Move Weasley", he said in a cold whisper that seemed to linger in the air.
Ginny stood frozen to the spot unaware of what she should do. As though something flicked her mind on, Ginny quickly jumped out of the way, her heart thumping fearfully, unsure whether or not she was going to be cursed.
Malfoy glared darkly at her as he and his friends swept past and Ginny trembled feeling her legs become weak beneath her. She couldn't believe she had just spoken back to the cruellest boy in school by herself.
Ginny shuttered before hurrying away and quickly walking through into a compartment. She slid the door shut with a bang and turned to find three girls staring up at her with questioning eyes.
"You alright Gin?" A pretty Hawaiian girl, named Leikela Lokelani, asked with a raised brow.
"Fine", Ginny said though she knew she must look pale and shaky.
The other two girls seated in her midst was a very tall, very thin, blonde girl with glasses named Dinah Stobbart. The other was a plump brunette with dazzling fire-like eyes named Katherine Reaveley.
"Good", Dinah said and patted the seat beside her, and Ginny took it gratefully. "You came just in time Ginny, we were all just deciding on our plan".
"Plan?" She asked giving the three girls a bewildered look.
"Ginny!" Katherine snapped irritably. "We've been talking about it all summer! Remember, our plan to get Collin Creevey to ask Dinah out".
"Oh yeah", Ginny said unenthusiastically.
She hadn't had the heart to tell the three girls before her that they had no hope in getting Collin to notice anyone or anything. The only thing he loved was his camera…
'Or'… Ginny thought with a grin. 'Harry'.
Dinah however had liked Collin for the last year and it was the only thing she would ever talk about. Ginny, whom had liked Harry since before she had met him, didn't even talk about her crush with these three girls. She didn't like them as much as Hermione, and she had to admit to herself, that she enjoyed spending more time with Ron then with them. They irritated her.
"So I was thinking that we could all start walking beside Collin to one of our classes", Leikela began happily. "And then Katherine could say something like, oh I forgot something back in the dorm. Gin, Leikela, want to come back with me. Then the three of us could walk away with Katherine, and leave Collin and Dinah alone together".
Ginny had a hard time suppressing the laughter that was rising up inside of her. Her ribs soon began to ache and she felt as though she was going to be sick. She never thought Collin and Dinah would look good together, she was about two feet taller then him.
"Gin? Ginny what do you think?" Leikela asked breaking into her thoughts. "Are you alright? You look like you're going to be sick".
"Uh… yeah I'm fine", Ginny said quickly. "It's an okay plan".
Ginny closed her eyes and pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms tightly around them. It was such a stupid plan, if Collin didn't notice her now, why was he going to notice her if she was just standing beside him. Dinah wouldn't say anything to him.
Harry at least spoke to Ginny, that was a start. They did have conversations, and not just stupid ones either. Sometimes they were actually quite interesting.
Ginny stood up after a moment and the three girls looked up at her with curiosity.
"I think I'm going to go and get changed into my school robes", and she left their compartment.
The train ride was shorter then usual and soon enough Draco was strutting down the hall with Pansy at his heel, as usual. Crabbe and Goyle were hurrying after him as they entered the Great Hall.
Draco looked towards the Gryffindor table and saw four people he despised with all his might. Potter, Weasley, and Granger were just taking their seats with Ginny Weasley seated right beside them. She seemed tiny and pale compared to the others, but she was smiling brightly… yet she looked out place, as though she didn't belong at all with them.
He scowled darkly and then suddenly two hands slid about his shoulders and someone was leaning over him and glaring in the same direction as he. Pansy had grown to be about the same height as Draco but she still had a face like a pug.
Her dark hair was spun atop her head, only tiny wisps of hair sticking out from under her black hat were visible.
"They make me sick", she said and wrinkled her nose, if possible, making her more unattractive then she already was.
Draco simply nodded before the four made their way towards the Slytherin table and sank down into their seats.
The sorting began and there was only nineteen new students attending school. Six in Hufflepuff, three in Gryffindor, six in Slytherin, and four in Ravenclaw. Draco grinned at the turn out, the supply of Gryffindor's seemed to be wearing thin.
"When can we eat?" Goyle grumbled impatiently. "Get the sorting over with already".
Dumbledore stood, made his announcements, and he smiled brightly at them all.
"Now let me announce that Quidditch try outs will be this month on the seventeenth to the twenty-first after classes", Dumbledore announced cheerfully and an excited whisper swept through the tables of students. "They will go in this order, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, and Slytherin! Their captains, and remaining players, will be waiting for you on the Quidditch pitch at four o'clock on those days. If you have any questions, feel free to ask the heads of your houses or go straight to the Quidditch team captain", Dumbledore beamed out at them for a moment before, "Now let the feast begin".
He clapped his hands and the tables filled with food enough to fill a thousand.
"Can't he just post the announcements on the bulletin board?" Pansy asked irritably as she filled her plate with mashed potatoes.
"It doesn't matter", Draco said bitterly.
He had not been asked to be team captain, instead it had been Rylie Patterson, a very built seventh year boy who could not have been good-looking if he had tried. Yet he was still Slytherin's Seeker, and the hopes of being team captain the next year were still high. Nearly every team had to be filled with new players, everyone had graduated the year before.
Draco pushed a forkful of chicken into his mouth and looked around the Slytherin table. Who would be trying out for the team? He wondered.
The next morning Draco strutted down the hall as he always did, Crabbe and Goyle on either side of him. People hurried out of their way as they made their way towards their first class, Charms.
Draco noticed suddenly a head of scarlet hair between the crowds of people and then bursting in from between two prefects appeared Ginny Weasley with Collin Creevey running behind her. Even Collin Creevey seemed to have grown taller then Ginny, it was odd how tiny she was…
"We're going to be late!" Ginny cried out as Collin tripped on her heel, their faces both red. "Professor McGonagall is going to have a fit!"
"Slow down Ginny!" Collin cried trying to catch his camera from swinging completely off his neck.
The two then disappeared down the hall together and Draco shook his head in irritation.
'Pitiful', he thought before turning into the charms classroom, he had this class with Ravenclaw.
Draco sank down into a seat in the back of class, Crabbe and Goyle seated on either side of him. He opened his charms book and leaned his head back, choosing not to pay attention this class.
He closed his eyes and began to absent-mindedly tap the tip of his eagle quill against the surface of his desk.
His thoughts wandered to Harry Potter and his friends. He had managed each year to do something to the trio that had hurt them emotionally of physically, and he planned on doing the same thing this coming year as well.
He frowned thoughtfully as no ideas came to his head. Normally he was quite good at thinking them up. He could hardly get Harry mad anymore, Harry would just brush him off… Hermione would ignore him now since he had called her a mud blood so many times the novelty had simply warn off. Then there was Weasley…
Draco's eyes snapped open and he grinned wickedly as an image of a scarlet haired figure appeared in his mind.
"Ginny Weasley, your life is mine this year", he whispered to himself and his eyes flashed coldly.
A/N, well that was the end of my second chapter! I hope you enjoyed it! Please read and review and tell me what you think.
I wasn't planning on having this chapter end this way, I was hoping things would start between Draco and Ginny when the Quidditch try outs started, but oh well. I guess this will work to.