Chapter One
Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own Harry Potter, or anything related to the concept. I hope you enjoy the story and please review! ~Dria
Dear Diary—
This is the first diary I've had since my first year of school, and I'm starting my seventh. I finally feel as if I'm ready for a diary, and the fact that I bought you from a Muggle store certainly helps matters.
I'm Ginny Weasley, the youngest in a family of seven children, and the only girl. Another interesting thing about my family is that we're all Magical (except for one of Mum's uncles, I believe, but we don't talk about him). Yes, I am a witch, and I attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You start this school at the age of eleven, and go through seven years of schooling. Therefore, I am facing my very last year. The thought is sad.
At our school, there are four separate houses that you can be Sorted into. An old decrepit hat (The Sorting Hat) can talk and see into your brain. It will Sort you into the proper house based upon your personality. Gryffindor, the house I belong to, is known for its bravery and courage, while Ravenclaw is known for its smarts. Hufflepuff is known for its loyalty, and Slytherin is known for its ambition and cunning. However, the popular opinion of all of the Gryffindors, and most likely the rest of the other houses, will say that the Slytherins are just slimy gits.
Now that you know about my school, maybe I should fill you in on my family. As I formerly stated, I am the youngest of seven. My older brothers are Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred and George (they're twins), and Ron. Bill is the eldest, at 28. Charlie is right behind him at 26, while Percy is younger at 22. Fred and George are 20, and Ron is just a year older than me at 18.
Bill is a cursebreaker at Gringotts, the wizarding bank. Although the banks are stationed all over the wizarding world, Bill works in Egypt. Charlie works in Romania, training dragons. Percy is at the Ministry of Magic, doing Merlin knows what, although the last thing I can remember is a very boring report about the regulation of cauldron bottom thickness. Fred and George are most likely the most interesting of my brothers—they own a joke shop. Mum was simply furious with them for not being "serious," but we've all needed a laugh in the past years. And then, there is Ron. Ron and I were always great friends, but our friendship became strained when he went off to Hogwarts a year before me. He made his own friends there—Hermione Granger and Harry Potter. However, in my fifth year, we became great friends again.
Hermione Granger is my brother's girlfriend, although it's hard to get either of them to admit it. She's extremely smart as well, and I sometimes wonder why she was a Gryffindor instead of a Ravenclaw, not that she isn't brave or anything. Hermione is one of the most courageous witches I've ever met, and I've met a few in my day. And, then there's Harry . . . Harry is probably the singular most amazing wizard that I've ever met. He's brave, smart, and the most wonderful wizard.
I've liked him since as long as I've heard of him.
And that's been a while. You see, Harry is probably the most famous wizard in the wizarding world. And, he was famous initially for something that he didn't even remember. You see, when Harry was a baby, there was an evil wizard named Voldemort. He killed Harry's parents, James and Lily Potter. And, he tried to kill Harry. The Killing Curse had never before been escaped, and most likely, it won't ever be escaped again. However, Lily died for Harry, and her protection reflected the curse back at Voldemort, leaving only a lightning shaped scar on Harry's forehead.
He grew up with his aunt and uncle, and their horrible son. The Dursleys mistreated Harry unbelievably. They would lock him in the cupboard under the stairs. They hated Harry, simply because they hated magic. Harry won't have to go back there now, because he's done with school, but he did have to spend all of his summer holidays there. He hated it, and always wanted to come with Ron to the Burrow. I never minded.
Anyway, Voldemort wasn't really gone all these years. And, when Harry found out he was a wizard, and started attending Hogwarts, Voldemort made almost continuous threats on his life. In fact, I believe his third year was the only year in which Voldemort made no attempt on his life. In Harry's fourth year, he "officially" came back. Before that, he was a shadow, he had to share a body with someone else. But, in his fourth year, my third, Voldemort gained his old body. It gives me shivers thinking about it. It was horrible.
And, then Voldemort began his attacks. Mainly, they were against Muggles (non-magical folks) and Mudbloods (a derogatory word for Muggle-borns). Hermione was extremely frightened, being Muggle-born. But, she still helped Harry. In fact, she and Ron stepped up to help Harry.
And, when I was fifteen, I helped them too. I was considered the best witch in my year, totally amazing if you ask some of my professors. Hermione and I brushed up on many complex spells, and we took tons of extra classes. We also helped Harry and Ron get ready for the fight against Voldemort, teaching them some more difficult of the curses.
But, our hardest thing was trying to come up with a spell to effectively get rid of Voldemort. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and myself attended daily meetings with the Hogwarts staff in the past two years. Hermione and I would talk between classes, and what free time we had was usually spent either in the library, or extra Defense classes.
At the beginning of last year, while working with Headmaster Dumbledore (considered the best wizard ever), we came up with a solution. Voldemort's soul was what we needed to kill. His life essence, not his body. So, with a minor modification on the Killing Curse, we found a way to shatter his essence. And, it worked. Of course, we couldn't test the method, and the final battle was just three weeks ago, on the last day of Hogwarts.
The sky was bright and cloudless, and exams were finally over. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had just got their results from the N.E.W.T.s. They were all very happy, their scores were more than acceptable. Hermione, of course, had the most. We were all outside, strolling around the grounds. Ron and Hermione were trying to inconspicuously hold hands. Harry and I shared an amused grin at their expense, and we were about to start teasing them unmercifully when it happened.
Harry's bright green eyes started clouding over. I had rarely seen this happen, it mainly happened only when he was in pain. But, nonetheless, his eyes were becoming unfocused, and his face was paling rapidly. I asked him if he was all right, as he slowly started sinking to his knees. The scar on his forehead was slowly starting to burn an angry red, and I knew what was happening.
Then Hermione said it. Three simple words, and we all shivered. "It's started then."
And it had. The grounds were soon swarming with Death Eaters, Voldemort's followers. There was mass confusion on the grounds. Some of the younger students tried vainly to run to the castle, while some of the older, braver students rushed into the confusion. That day . . . reliving it is horrible. I don't want to think of it.
We won. Through great loss to our side though. Most of the losses came from the older students, the younger ones had made it into the safety of the castle. Most of Hermione, Ron, and Harry's classmates were lost. Parvati Patil, Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, Susan Bones, Hannah Abbott, Ernie MacMillon, Terry Boot. Then, there were several of my classmates: Jill Kensington, Mark Madison, Timothy Drake, Kim Vowels. There were more, of course. And, then, the teaching staff. We lost McGonagall and Flitwick, Sprout, and our latest Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, who actually knew what he was talking about.
The memories still hurt. But, there is one thing that hurts more than that. After that fateful day, although we won, we've seen Harry twice in that time. The first time was right after the battle. He made his way through the body laden battlefield, towards us.
He barely saw us. He had taken a haunted look, and his mouth was hanging open. He slowly walked past us, towards the castle, mercifully untouched. That night, he left. Ron said that his things were already pack, he simply shrank his trunk, then flew off on his broomstick—his Firebolt. To say we were worried would be an understatement. And, add his insane godfather, the escaped convict Sirius Black (who isn't really the murderer that everyone thought him to be, he's innocent), was insane. I know that he received a message from Harry, via Hedwig, Harry's owl.
The second time we saw him was less than a week ago. We saw him at a store, in Muggle London. Hermione and I were out shopping for a few things, this has been one of the few times that we've had a chance to do anything really fun together. She and Ron were planning a great date, and I just wanted to get some new Muggle clothing. We were in a very nice men's clothing store, Hermione gushing about how nice Ron would look in one of the suits. I had rolled my eyes, then looked over to the side. And, there he was. Standing there, his eyes wide with fright. He had looked at us, then ducked out of the store. I don't even know if Hermione saw him.
We miss him. I miss him. I need him here. The summer holidays are almost half over, and then I'll be returning to Hogwarts. And, somehow, I'll have to survive the whole term without my friends. There will be no Ron, no Hermione, no Harry . . . I'll have no friends. Sure, there are the people in my year . . . I just never got along with them after my first year.
Oh, I left that out, didn't I? Yeah, in my first year, through an enchanted diary, I was possessed by Tom Riddle. He's better known as Voldemort. I, unknowingly, got the ability to talk to snakes (Harry also has the ability), and unleashed a basilisk. It's a huge snake with large yellow eyes. Anyway, when the snake saw someone, it would instantly kill them. Luckily, no one actually saw the snake eye to eye, just through water, ghosts, or in a mirror. Harry saved me.
Have I mentioned that I miss him?
Love Always—
Ginny Weasley
Ginny rolled over on her bed, shutting her diary and placing it in the drawer of the table next to her bed. Closing her eyes briefly, she ran a hand through her curly red hair before standing abruptly. Her mind was still focused on Harry as she started pacing back and forth.
She desperately felt the need to see him again. His companionship helped her stomach Ron and Hermione's constant bickering, and even worse, there make-up times. Already, in the three weeks that he'd been gone, Ron and Hermione had gotten into a fight a day, each lasting about half an hour in length. Then, Hermione would stomp off to complain to Ginny, until Ron would shamefully approach Ginny's room. Then, the two would be gone for an hour, at the least.
Ginny felt extremely alone, and knew that he loneliness wouldn't be going away any time soon. She didn't really have any friends at Hogwarts, she was mainly around Hermione, Ron, and Harry. And, the Burrow was now completely empty save her parents, Ron, and Hermione. With her father working overtime at the Ministry, and Hermione and Ron so involved with each other, Ginny didn't know what to do. Plus, her mother was beside herself with worry about Harry. Ginny was certain that she was nervous enough for the both of them.
Making her mind up not to sit around and do nothing, she resolutely got up and walked to her door. She opened it quickly, then thundered down the steps. She walked into the living room, where Ron and Hermione sat, Hermione poring over a book. Ron was watching her with an amused glance, clearly taking pleasure in annoying her in any way he possibly could. He had his wand out, albeit hidden, and was levitating and enchanting different things.
Rolling her eyes, Ginny strolled over to slump in a chair next to Hermione. Hermione barely lifted her eyes, but acknowledged Ginny nonetheless.
"Ron! Stop it!" she finally ordered, slamming her book down. Ginny's older brother laughed, running a hand through his already mused red hair. He leaned forward and interlaced his fingers with her, dropping a kiss on one of the knuckles. Ginny groaned aloud, and made to push herself out of the chair.
"Ginny?" Hermione questioned, turning to look at the younger girl. Ginny was scowling, but Hermione took no account. "Are you all right?" Ginny simply shrugged, slumping back down.
"What's wrong, Gin?" Ron asked, now sounding slightly concerned.
"Nothing," she sighed. Hermione nodded, then glared at Ron. However, her boyfriend didn't take notice of her glare, he just stared at his sister with wide blue eyes.
"Ron, maybe you could leave Gin and me alone for a few minutes?" Hermione asked, slowly disengaging her hand from his. He nodded, getting up and slowly walking out of the Burrow to the trees in the backyard.
"It's Harry, isn't it?" Ginny glared up at the curly haired girl, seeming to be at a loss for words. Hermione could tell she was trying to think of a way to politely and eloquently say everything that was on her mind.
"It's Harry," she finally confirmed. "I can't keep him off of my mind. The last battle plays over and over again, as much as I try to block it out. I see Harry, looking shattered, the fire in his eyes gone. And, then, I think about my next year at Hogwarts. Can anyone answer what will happen there? Hermione, I'm an outcast with my peers. The only way I've survived the past years is because of the three of you. I'm the last Weasley, I'm the last of us, and it's just so hard, you know?" Ginny asked, the words tumbling out. "Plus, I feel so lonely here! I was hoping that the feeling of isolation wouldn't start until I got back, but now it's just you and Ron. I know that you don't mean to do it, but you have been so much less . . . bashful about your feelings for one another since the battle. And, I know it's a good thing, and I'm truly happy for you. But, I always had Harry before. When you two would fight, or hold hands, or sneak off to snog in the broom closets, he was there for me. I had a friend. And, he's gone."
Hermione thoughtfully leaned back, watching Ginny. Nodding to herself, she looked around. "Write him, Gin. I will try to be there for you more, I realize that I haven't lately, but I will be. But, your owl will be able to reach Harry, you know it should be able to. So, write him. Tell him what's going on, tell him what you feel. And, we'll take some more trips to Muggle London, and Diagon Alley. Do you really have no friends in your year?"
"Well . . . Colin and I could be friends," Ginny said. "I guess I could actually try to be friends with him. I haven't tried yet. But, I will write to Harry. It may not change anything, but I hope it will." Hermione smiled, noting with pleasure that her friend was looking more alive than she had in the past few days.
"Go ahead then. I know you'll want to start immediately on your letter for Harry. Tonight, after dinner, we'll have a chat, shall we? Now, Ron looks a bit lonely." Ginny gave Hermione a smile, before running up to her room and grabbing a quill and some parchment. Tapping the quill slowly against her lip, she tried to decide what to say to Harry. Finally being inspired, she started writing fluently.
In ten short minutes, she was done. She just had to find an owl to take the letter to Harry. She immediately got up and ran around the house.
Three weeks later, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were in the middle of eating breakfast. While still bleary eyed, Ron apparently saw something that sparked his interest. He squinted off in the distance, eventually getting up and heading to the window. Opening it just in time, he seemed to disbelieve what he saw in front of him.
"Is that . . . Hedwig?" he asked. Harry's snowy white owl was indeed perched on the kitchen table. Hooting indignantly at Ron, she stuck her leg out to Ginny. "That must be for me or Hermione. Why is she handing it to you?"
"We've been writing for weeks," Ginny said. "I assure you that this is my letter. Thanks, Hedwig," Ginny said, smiling at the snowy owl and feeding it a piece of bacon. She took the letter, opening it and scanning it quickly. A quick grin spread across her face, followed by the chewing of her lip, then another grin.
"MUM!" she shouted. Molly Weasley ran into the room, looking around quickly. Satisfied that all of her children were quite safe, she clutched a hand to her chest. "I may be having a guest stay in a couple of days," Ginny said, sounding slightly unsure of herself.
"Virginia Weasley! You didn't even ask if you could have a guest! Who would come at a time like this? The wizarding—"
"The reason I didn't ask, Mother, is because I figured he would say no. And, besides, you've never turned Harry down before," Ginny interrupted, smiling at her mother. Her mother gasped, putting a hand over her mouth.
"Harry's coming here?" Ron incredulously asked.
"Well, yes. Just for a week or two. Apparently, he's been in contact with Sirius. Sirius is still trying to get a flat in Hogsmeade and is staying with Remus Lupin. Of course, Harry could stay there, but he's been living in Muggle London. I invited him to stay for a while, be in the wizarding world without actually having to take part in it. He enjoyed that idea. There's more news, but it's not my place to tell you that," she said. Inside, she was dying to tell them that Harry had also talked to Dumbledore, and would be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts the next year. However, she knew that it was his job to tell the rest of her friends that.
"When's he to arrive, Gin?" Hermione asked, grinning at her younger friend. Ginny's smile grew wider, as she bit her lip.
"Tomorrow," she said happily. Hermione grinned even wider, but Mrs. Weasley began to look livid.
"Well, this house is unacceptable! We'll have to clean out Fred and George's room, clean the house, get more groceries . . . That's it, Ginny, up with you! You're helping get the twins' room ready!" her mother scolded. Ginny nodded, grinning at Hermione, thankful that as of her fourth year summer the ban on no magic in summer holidays had been lifted.
"I'll help. Come on, Gin, you may want to change," Hermione said, looking at the casual skirt and blouse that Ginny was wearing.
"Okay. I'll meet you in the twins' room in ten," she said. Hermione nodded, and the two girls raced up the stairs. Ginny immediately went to her room to pull out a white tank top and a pair of old, cut-off shorts. She secured her flame colored hair in a high ponytail, before grabbing her wand and heading into the other room. Hermione was already waiting anxiously for her.
The day was spent pointing their wands at the dust that covered everything, and vigorously cleaning stains that had clearly bubbled over from suspicious potions and various creations. In fact, Ginny discovered that the twins had left a few surprises for whoever slept there next. The beds were enchanted to transform the person into a pelican, while Filibuster Fireworks exploded under the beds.
"That's the twins for you," Hermione said, grinning at Ginny as she pointed them out. Ginny nodded, quickly deactivating the Fireworks, before taking the more difficult job of un-Charming the beds. It took her nearly ten minutes, but she managed.
"Okay, we're done here," Ginny said as the cleaned the last surface and sent a Cleaning Charm at the bed. Hermione shot her a grin, and the two girls bounded down the stairs to help clean the living room.
"Ron got stuck degnoming the garden," Hermione said as they walked past a window that showed the backyard. Ginny rolled her eyes as her friend rapidly became entranced with the image of her boyfriend bending down to pick the creatures up then toss them as far as he could. Ginny grabbed her arm when she heard Hermione give a sigh.
"That's my brother you're pining over," Ginny pointed out. Hermione grinned impishly, before they headed down to the living room. They cleaned for another two hours, then both collapsed into chairs, their faces covered in dirt and sweating slightly.
"Why is it just as difficult to clean with magic as it is to clean the Muggle way?" Hermione asked. Ginny simply shrugged, blowing a strand of hair that had fallen into her eyes away. Seconds later, she repeated the action when it fell again.
"I think I'm going to go talk to Ron," Hermione said.
"Hermione, take a shower first. Trust me, you don't want to go after him at the moment," Ginny said. Hermione looked at the bottom half of herself, then nodded. Ginny grinned, before following her up the stairs. Entering her room, she reached for her diary.
Dear Diary—
Well, Harry's coming in tomorrow! I'm so excited, I can hardly wait. I won't be alone anymore. I know that he's not going to be the same, the letters we've exchanged have told me that much. But, I hope that being around his friends will make him more of himself, if that really makes sense.
I think that it's going to be a while before he truly recovers. Going back to Hogwarts, even if it is to teach, will definitely help him a lot. I think that he'll feel strange, though. At least Snape won't be at his throat any longer; they made their peace during the war.
I have to go back in a little over two weeks. Well, at least Harry will be teaching me. He told me that when he gets here, he'll tell me some other new additions to the teaching staff. I think that he is going to accompany me to Diagon Alley to get my school stuff. He may be picking up some stuff also.
I have a few concerns about returning to Hogwarts. Who will be Head of Gryffindor? Or Ravenclaw? And, I have to wonder who the Head Boy and Head Girl are. They didn't pick me, thank God. I don't know that I would really want to be Head Girl. I don't mind prefect status, after all, you still can break rules. Minor ones, of course.
Well, I'm utterly exhausted from cleaning all day. I think I'm going to go to bed.
Love Always—
Ginny
With that Ginny put her journal in the drawer of her table, lying back on her bed. She focused her chocolate brown eyes on the ceiling, wishing that she could just go to sleep and then wake up right as Harry was to arrive. Glancing at her clock, she saw it was three o'clock. She grinned, 21 hours left.
Her eyelids slowly fluttered close, and she was swept into dreams of emerald green eyes and jet-black hair.
"Ginny! What time will Harry arrive?" were the first things she heard when she awoke the next morning. Blearily glancing about the room, Ginny's eyes once again landed on the clock. It was already 9:30! She jumped up, looking around in confusion. Running a hand through her tangled hair, she headed towards her closet. She shuffled through her clothes, before remembering her mum had asked her a question.
"He should be here at noon!" Ginny yelled back, choosing a sky-blue tank top and a white skirt that reached her kneecaps. Heading for the bathroom with those and a few other items in hand, she hurried to take a shower, then dried her hair with a quick Charm. She quickly applied a light layer of make-up, before hurrying back to her room. She slipped into a pair of white sandals, then went downstairs to eat breakfast.
"Ready for Harry to arrive, Gin?" Hermione asked with an amused grin. Ginny rolled her eyes and grabbed a muffin. She sat down next to Hermione, pouring a cup of coffee. She quickly ate, tapping her foot impatiently.
"Gin, you still have about two hours," Hermione said. Biting her lip, Ginny decided to go work on some of her Potions homework. She told Hermione, then ran upstairs. She sat at her desk, thoughtfully writing an essay about Veritaserum, how to prepare it, and its full effects.
It took her almost two hours. When she was done, she checked her watch and realized that it was time for Harry to arrive. She dropped her things excitedly, running down the stairs quickly.
"I thought you might be late," Ron said from a seat in the living room. Ginny tried to ignore his amused tone and passed him to stand in front of the Burrow. She waited for a few moments, before he appeared in front of her. Trying to hide her surprise, she smiled at him.
"Hello," she said softly. "You've learned to Apparate, then?" she questioned. Harry nodded, looking at her with dead green eyes. He was holding his trunk in one hand, and looked up at the Burrow.
"Yeah. Have you told them about Hogwarts?" he asked. Ginny shook her head softly. She smiled at him, walking towards him.
"It's your news, Harry. Come on, I'll lead you up to the twins' room," she said. He nodded, levitating his trunk and following her into the Burrow. They passed Ron, who quickly jumped up, but sat back down when Hermione poked him. Silence reigned as they walked to the twins' room.
"Do I need to worry about any surprises that the twins may have had in store for whomever had their room next?" Harry asked. Ginny turned to grin at him.
"Well . . . typically, yes. But, Hermione and I cleaned yesterday, and I cast a spell to see if their were any spells, and then I counteracted it," she said, seeming quite pleased.
"What did they have set up?" Harry asked curiously. Ginny giggled, imagining Harry turning into a pelican.
"Oh, transfiguration into a pelican, and fireworks," Ginny said as they entered the room he would be staying in. Harry rolled his eyes, grinning at her softly. Ginny basked in his smile; it had been six long weeks since she had seen him, and his smile was like a ray of sunshine.
"That's the twins for you," he said, placing his trunk at the foot of his bed, before sitting decidedly on the bed. He looked worried, but he began to look relieved when he realized that nothing had happened to him.
"Hey, I told you I got rid of that charm," Ginny told him, crossing her arms over her chest. "Didn't you believe me? Come on, Harry." Harry shrugged, lying back and looking up at her.
"What's wrong?" she asked, sitting next to him. Harry shrugged, not looking at her. "Harry, you know that you can trust me."
"I know, Gin. It's just hard, you know? I've been so used to fighting Voldemort and everything that I don't know what to do now. I mean, I know I'm going to teach, but I don't know that I'll be up for it. Don't you think that I'll be horrible?"
"Harry, doubt in yourself is not becoming," Ginny said, swinging her legs up on the bed. "I know that you can do this, so you shouldn't worry about it. You'll do great." Harry simply shrugged and turned on his side to face her.
"You'll help?" he asked in a hopeful voice. Ginny nodded, leaning back against the wall to support her back, before running a hand through her curly hair.
"Of course I will. Harry, I'll always be there to help you," she said. "Now, are you up to facing the firing squad? I think Ron and Hermione will want to talk to you. Just to let you know, though, Ron found out we had been writing yesterday. I don't think he's going to be overly enthusiastic that you confided more in me than him," Ginny told him. Harry nodded, following her out of the room.