She sighed, wondering when things had changed. It was after the first year he had spent at Hogwarts. In her heart, the infatuation had grown. Harry went from being the boy who lived to being Ron's friend, a small jump in some eyes, but not hers. Ginny smiled as she remembered the pleasure and happiness that she'd felt when Ron wrote home telling about his new friend, Harry Potter.
She started loving him then. It went from being a crush on the celebrity image that she had of Harry into something more. She had read about Ron's first days at Hogwarts. About how Harry told Malfoy off, emphatically stating that he could choose his own friends. Harry could have been friends with Malfoy; it would have made sense. Both families' possessed strong wizards, both were well known in the wizarding community. But Harry told Malfoy no and chose to remain friends with Ron.
Ginny knew how much his friendship meant to Ron. When growing up with a clan of brothers and sisters, it was hard to feel alone. Being a Weasley could be both a blessing and a curse. Living with Fred and George was akin to living with a time bomb. Percy frequently got on everyone's nerves with his uptight ways, and with the example Bill and Charlie left, it was no wonder that Ron sometimes felt overshadowed by his brothers. Being the only girl, Ginny had more privacy and fewer expectations to live up to, but even she understood Ron's situation. And just being a Weasley didn't help.
How she hated being identified as a "Weasley." Ginny loved her family dearly, but they were all so much more than just their last name. It burned in her soul when she heard people like Malfoy sneering at her family. Yes, they weren't rich and at times she did think there were too many of them. But theirs was one of the oldest and most honorable wizarding families around. Far more respected than the Malfoys ever were.
But it was hard to focus on your heritage when people took one look at your red hair, freckles, and slightly shabby robes and immediately thought "another Weasley." Ron chafed at it more than she did, however. Being the last boy brought at lot to bear on him. He didn't think that he would ever surpass their older brothers.
It seemed a surprise to Ron when he wrote home that time, telling of his new experiences at Hogwarts. Ginny could almost hear the wonder in his voice when Ron spoke of Harry.
…You won't believe it Gin, but I have already made a friend. And he's even in Gryffindor too. It's Harry Potter. He's a lot more ordinary than you would ever expect. He seems almost as nervous as I do about this place. He's famous, but he doesn't really like it when people point and stare the way they do. There isn't a person here who doesn't know his name. They all want to befriend him, but he's my friend. Ginny, I think he envies us a bit. He says he has no brothers and sisters and that he has been poor nearly all his life. He doesn't mind that all my stuff came from Bill or Charlie. It's the best thing that has happened to me here at Hogwarts…
That's when Harry went from being the boy who lived into just being Harry, Ron's best friend and the boy who owned her heart.