Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this story except the plot. All figures relating to Harry Potter belong to J.K. Rowling. (Darn)
Ch.1
"Come on, Frederick, George! ROOOOOOOONALD! HarrEEEEEEEE!" called Mrs.Weasley up the spiral staircase. "Its 9:30 and we have to get to Kings Cross Station by 11:00!" She shook her head with a tiny "mmph" noise. She walked over to the table where Ginny Weasley was peevishly eating her butter toast and tea, obviously worried about not getting to platform 9 ¾ in time and being left behind for her 4th year of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She would eat a bite of toast, chew while she twirled her long, lush locks of fiery red hair, take a sip of tea, get up and pace back and forth, and then finally shooed back to her breakfast by Molly. This had been Virginia's normal routine for the past 3 years on the morning they returned to Hogwarts. But, this year, Ginny was 14, and a new task was added to her schedule. Every once in a while, she would walk over to the large talking mirror in the den. She would check her sleek ponytail, and straighten her skirt, which she wore with her gray knee socks, blouse, Gryffindor tie, a sweater vest and her black, black, black-as-a-midnight-lake robes. (Ginny got a job taking orders at the Three Broomsticks all summer and replaced her entire school wardrobe with the profits-being a Weasley she was very proud of her just-out-of-the-shop uniforms.) The mirror would tell her every time that she looked "abso-LUTE-telly bee-YOU-tifall, dahling."
"Uugh," Ginny grunted as she glanced at her leather watch (new from Tick-Tock-Clockery) a half an hour later. She threw down the needle point project she was occupying her nervous fingers with and stormed up the staircase towards Ron's room, where he and his best friend the all-famous Harry Potter had slept the night before, no different from any other night during any summer. She ran down the hall & burst through the door at the very end of the hall to the right. As she walked in, her eyes grew very large.
"GET UP NOOOOW!" she shrieked shrilly as she opened the darkened blinds, filling the room with streams of harsh morning sunlight. Ron's hand immediately flew to his eyes as he sat up in his bed. Harry did the same thing in his cot.
"Jeepers, Ginny!" grunted Ron.
"Get out of bed! Hurry! Get dressed we have to leave! It's after 10:00!" She cried, frantically pacing back and forth. "I can't BELIEVE you're still sleeping!"
"Mum made us de-gnome the gardens yesterday! We're tired!"
"Uh!" cried Ginny as she went over to Ron's closet and started pulling out clothes.
"God, Ginny! Stop!" shouted Ron as he tore across the room towards Ginny and threw her away. Harry found this very amusing. "Pestery little git! Get OUT of there!"
"UUUH! OW!" Yelled Ginny as she stumbled backwards into Ron's beaureau. "What, you don't want me to see the BAD magazines you hide from mum?" She spat in his face. Harry sniggered. Ginny had a gift for sounding comical when she was frustrated. She didn't think it was funny at all, and she shot Harry a glare that said "its not funny." Harry looked confused. Ginny had liked him forever, he never thought shed have the courage to glare at him! But Ginny was no longer shy around Harry, but she still fancied him greatly. She turned back to Ron, hoping to sort the situation out later.
Ron looked sheepish about the magazines. He was very inept at making excuses. "Um, dad gave them to me?" he tried. Ginny just rolled her eyes.
"Shut up and get ready!" she flew out the door to help her father load the new ford Anglia minivan.
"So cute when she's mad," muttered Ron grimly.
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The Weasleys (and Harry) piled into the car, with Harry, Ron, and Ginny in the very back, Fred and George and their chemistry set in the middle (they were helping teach a joke potion class for 1-3 years since they were too old for Hogwarts), Arthur Weasley driving and Molly Weasley reading The Daily Prophet in the passenger seat. She was reading a rather amusing article, Flourish and Blots Employee is Harmed by Disappearing Ink by Rita Skeeter; apparently the employee was staking disappearing ink when a bottle shattered, covering him with it, and now no one can find him. They started out of the long driveway towards the muggle highway.
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As the car coasted down to the bottom of a hill, the car jolted and stopped. Mr. Weasley fumbled with the key for a few moments. All of a sudden, a huge truck appeared at the top of the hill and beeped loudly. The van was filled with screams mixing with the squealing of the truck's tires. The truck loomed closer and closer. With a sigh of relief, Mr. Weasley juggled the key once more and the engine sputtered. They veered into the safety lane as the truck roared past. The next few moments were filled with a deadly silence. Ginny let out a long, pained breath.
"Um, Ginny?" Ron said quietly. "Geroff me please." Ginny looked down. She was gripping his arm so tightly that her knuckles were white.
"Sorry," whispered Ginny shakily. Arthur's hand released the wheel and Molly's hands were covering her face. "It happened so fast mummy," whispered Ginny, collapsing into tears.
"I know baby."
Ginny buried her head in Ron's shoulder. He put his trembling arm around her and leaned his ginger head back against the seat. He looked over at Harry.
Harry gulped and leaned his elbow on the door. He was breathing heavily. "We could have been killed!" whispered Harry.
"Let's-let's just get o-on with our journey," said Mrs. Weasley with a nervous laugh. She gave the dashboard a hearty pat. "Don't fail on us now."
Arthur started the van and they drove off for Kings Cross Station.