A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! Thanks to Erin for putting up with me and all my complaints. I hope you enjoy, and please review. Oh, yeah, and I don't own any of this stuff; it's all J. K. Rowling's material.
Chapter Four
Ginny rolled over in her bed, wincing at the sunlight that was streaming in the window. She frowned, trying to clear her head as she picked her wand up and pointed it at the window, murmuring a spell to shut the curtains. She then promptly turned back over and burrowed her head under the pillows.
"Ginny! Get your lazy bum up! We need to go over some last minute plans!" she heard Harry call from outside the room. She ignored him, pulling the covers farther up. She was just falling back to sleep when someone stepped into her room and picked her up.
"Leave me 'lone," Ginny mumbled under the cover of her remaining pillow. She heard snickering, but didn't open her eyes. She then started gasping as someone began to tickle her. She protested, beating him on the arms, before finally opening her eyes.
"Charlie, what the hell do you think you're doing?" she asked, frowning at him. Charlie laughed, setting her on her bed.
"Harry's right. You need to help him go over his plans because school starts tomorrow. Well, classes start, at least. Everyone's getting here tonight," Charlie said.
"Oh! I had forgotten. That means I'm going to have to sit with the Gryffindors again, doesn't it? I'll miss talking to Harry, Sirius, Beth, and you during dinner. Besides, calling Sirius and Beth Professor?" she asked, rolling her eyes.
"Yes, I know. You'll slip up and everyone will stare. Come on, breakfast is being served in ten minutes, think you can be ready? Harry's waiting," Charlie reminded her.
"Tell Harry to go to his rooms, and I'll be there in a few minutes. I need to talk to Dumbledore to find out if the house-elves are going to move my things to my dormitory," Ginny said thoughtfully.
"I'm sure they will. Now, will you please get ready? I'll go talk to Harry for you, though," Charlie said. Ginny grinned at him, blowing him a quick kiss and jumping up. Knowing that she had few minutes to get to breakfast, she pulled her hair into a quick ponytail, then put on a pair of black pants and a vivid red shirt. She then put on her sandals and ran to the next room, murmuring Harry's password. She walked in to find him nervously looking through the book that the first years would be using.
"Hey," she said, looking down at him. "Not nervous, are you?"
"Very much so. Gin, what if I'm horrible?" he asked. She frowned at him and held her hand out to help him up. He accepted it and was pulled to his feet and led out of the door.
"Harry, you'll be brilliant. You always are, aren't you? What's the worst that could happen?" she asked practically.
"Everyone could fail everything, and you could fail your NEWTs," Harry said. Ginny frowned as they entered the Great Hall, sitting down at her place beside Harry.
"Look, that's not going to happen. You'll teach the first years how to disarm, how to do small spells, all that stuff. Second and third years will deal with small dark creatures. Fourth and fifth years will do the Unforgivable Curses, and dementors. The sixth and seventh years will be given a pop quiz to see what they know, and they will also be asked to duel one another and conjure a Protonus. It's not that bad, Harry," Ginny assured him.
"Why am I so worried, then?" he hissed, taking a vicious bite out of his toast. Ginny giggled at him, shaking her head sadly.
"You care about what people think, and you think that they'll have preconceived notions of you, particularly the first years. The Great Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, will be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts. Plus, the fact that the two greatest wizards of this century are in the school at one time is just amazing," Ginny said with a grin.
"Shut up, Gin," Harry said, flushing uneasily. "Anyway, are you sure I'll be fine?"
"Harry, stop worrying so much. Come on, it's a nice day, what do we have to do?" Ginny asked, looking at the enchanted ceiling.
"We have to make a few minor preparations, and go over a few things in a staff meeting," Sirius interrupted as he sat next to Harry. Ginny's face darkened at that, frowning slightly.
"Sorry, Gin. Why don't you go down to Hogsmeade today? Sirius, Charlie, and I can join you after the staff meeting," Harry said. Ginny nodded, still looking vaguely unhappy.
"What am I going to do in Hogsmeade for that long? Especially alone?" she whined. Harry grinned at her, as Charlie sat next to her.
"Hmm, I always checked out the Quidditch store. Ginny, you'll find something. Girls can shop for hours."
"Correction, girls can shop for hours if there is another girl to shop with. Do you know how boring it is to wander aimlessly around? I mean, I've got plenty of books, and well, I could go to Honeydukes," she said, brightening slightly.
"And, we'll find you at the end of the staff meeting, and then we'll drag you to the Quidditch shop," Harry said with a grin. Ginny groaned as she started eating her breakfast.
"Well, you all have plenty of fun," she said, standing. "I think I'm going to go back to my room and get a little more put together than this." She glanced down at her clothing, then back at the men she was sitting with. "Have fun at the staff meeting." With that said, she kissed Charlie on the cheek and started out of the room.
"She's strange," Charlie said, shaking his head slightly. Harry grinned, watching her walk out of the room. Ginny walked to her room and took a quick shower, then dried her hair and applied light make-up. She walked slowly down to Hogsmeade, wandering listlessly around.
She finally noticed a small shop towards one end of the town. She slowly walked in, glancing around. It was a shop that was full of jewelry and trinkets, almost entirely silver and gold. She smiled as she examined a white gold ring with a light blue sapphire in the middle. Next to it was a matching necklace and earrings. She grinned softly, and continued looking around the shop.
"May I help you?" a soft voice from behind her asked. Ginny turned around quickly, looking for the distinctively male voice. A boy, looking to be her age, was standing behind her with dark blond hair and sea blue eyes.
"I'm just looking, thanks," she said, scanning him and biting her lips.
"You're Ginny Weasley, right?" he asked. Ginny nodded, crossing her arms below her breasts and narrowing her eyes at him. She knew that she could recognize him, but his name wasn't anywhere in her mind.
"Yes. I've seen you before, I just can't place you," she said.
"Jake Tapp. I'm a Slytherin, same year as you. I fought with you last year," he said. Then it clicked, and Ginny smiled, glancing up at him.
"How are you doing? You're the one that got that nasty hex up the side of your arm, right? Deep gash, that was. Let me check it out," Ginny said, crossing the room quickly to look at his arm. Jake frowned, pushing the sleeve of his robe up to reveal a thin, silver line running from his elbow to his shoulder.
"I'm fine. It hardly hurts at all anymore," he said, pressing it softly. Ginny glared up at him, before pulling her wand out and waving it over his arm quickly. It glowed a light red, and she swore softly under her breath.
"Have you even seen a medi-witch?" she asked, looking at him with a second glare.
"Should I have? I had assumed that you had taken care of it," he said cautiously. Ginny rolled her eyes heavenward and bit her lip thoughtfully. She knew that it would have been nice to have Poppy's help, but she knew that she could handle it.
"All right, I am usually fine at noticing things like this, but I was quite busy that night. Forgive me for my mix-up," she said. "Now, this may hurt a bit." With that, she waved her wand over his wounded arm and it split open, albeit with much less pain than Jake felt when the Death Eater ripped it open. She glanced into the flesh underneath, carefully scanning for the telltale signs of a curse on one of the muscles. Almost immediately finding it, she stuck her wand as close to it as she could get it and whispered an incantation. Anyone watching would have seen a pearly tear-shaped thing float from Ginny's wand onto Jake's muscle, before the muscle was quickly reformed. She then sealed Jake's arm, and stepped back.
"Well, since you fixed my arm, I'm obligated to buy you a butterbeer," he said.
"Don't you have to watch over the store?" Ginny asked, raising a delicate eyebrow.
"It's my mum's shop, but she's still asleep. I'm just going to tell her that I have to pick up some last minute school things, she'll barely notice that I'm gone," he said, running up the stairs quickly. Ginny grinned after him, examining the jewelry that was next to her as he hurried up an unnoticed flight of stairs in the corner of the room.
She idly touched a silver heart locket, before leaning against a wall of the dark room. The walls were wood, and the floor was a light beige color. There were many display cases around the room, the stones grouped with others that had the same magical properties. Ginny realized that was why she was attracted to the sapphire set earlier; it was a stone known for its healing powers.
"All right, let's go. Do you want to go straight to the Three Broomsticks?" Jake asked, coming back down the stairs. Ginny nodded, grinning at him as they started to walk out of the shop. They strolled down the quaint streets of Hogsmeade, Ginny barely noticing her surroundings as she talked with Jake.
"So, why exactly are you in Hogsmeade instead of taking the Hogwarts Express like everyone else?" Jake asked as they found an empty table in the Three Broomsticks.
"Oh, Harry is the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, and he and I are very good friends. I'm going to help him out in a few classes, and I was allowed to stay at Hogwarts while he prepared for the start of term. And, my older brother has business to take care of there, also."
"Harry? Harry Potter?" Jake asked skeptically. Ginny nodded, smiling. "Is Potter up to it? I mean, I've heard good things about him, and I know that he finally defeated Voldemort last year, but is he really that well-versed in Defense Against the Dark Arts?"
"He's pretty good at it. I worked closely with him last year, and he's wonderful with all of that stuff. Trust me, he's been stressing over this all summer, practically. I think he'll be brilliant. But, aren't you supposed to hate him by default? You are a Slytherin," Ginny pointed out.
"Well, yes, but I'm also supposed to hate all Gryffindors. I don't really fit into all that Slytherin stuff. I'm one who was put there purely for my ambition. I have friends there, but I'm not one of those who hate people because of their heritage, or for defeating Voldemort. And, I'm one of the few people who can call him Voldemort," he said.
"Yeah, yeah. Well, I call him Voldemort too. But, it really pissed him off if we called him Tom," Ginny said.
"Why would you call him Tom?" Jake asked, mystified.
"It's his real name. There's a lot of stuff that let us find out that information. I'd rather not talk about it," Ginny said, taking a sip of the butterbeer that had been placed in front of her. Jake raised an eyebrow and glanced at his watch.
"Wow, it's already twelve," he said. "Would you like some lunch?" Ginny grinned and nodded. Jake waved Madam Rosmerta over, and they quickly ordered their meals. She left with a smile, promising the food would shortly be over.
"So, if you've been hanging out with Potter all summer, why are you here alone?" Jake curiously asked.
"Oh, Harry, Sirius, and Charlie had to go to a staff meeting. They promised me they'd meet me here as soon as the meeting was over. They want to drag me into a Quidditch shop. You see, Harry and Charlie are both great Seekers, and are completely obsessed with Quidditch. I'm surprised neither of them went into professional Quidditch. Both easily could have, you know. Charlie was actually approached by England, and I'm sure that Harry got some offers, although he hasn't told us. Anyway, I can watch the Quidditch games, I'm just not overly into the game, and I'm the only one in my family who doesn't play, with the exception of Percy. Actually, all of them except for Percy, Bill, and I were on the team. Bill loves Quidditch, he just never played," Ginny quickly explained.
"I'm quite fond of Quidditch, but I can't really play that well. I've tried, mind you, I just can't do it. I think Potter is searching for you now," Jake said, glancing at the main doors. Ginny turned around, and Harry was scanning the inside of the Three Broomsticks, looking for the bright red Weasley hair. Finally catching sight of her, he waved Sirius and Charlie to follow him and strolled to the table.
"Hey Gin. Mind if we join you?" Charlie asked, looking from his sister to the boy sitting with her. Ginny grinned at him.
"Please do. Jake, this is my brother Charlie, this is Harry Potter, and that's Sirius Black. Guys, this is Jake Tapp, my year, Slytherin," she said. Charlie choked on the drink of butterbeer he was taking from Ginny's cup when she said this.
"Slytherin?" he repeated weakly.
"A good Slytherin," Ginny amended, smirking at her brother. "He fought with us last year, don't get any horrid ideas, Charlie. I fixed his arm," she said.
"How badly did you screw up?" Charlie asked in a teasing voice.
"Not too badly," Ginny said frowning. "But, I really couldn't help it! Do you know how many people I was trying to heal that night?" she asked, sounding panicked. Harry put a hand on her arm gently.
"It's okay, Gin. Calm down, Charlie was just teasing you. You're a great healer, all right?" Harry assured, glaring at Charlie. Ginny smiled up at him briefly, nodding. "So, what have you been doing all morning?"
"Not much. Talking with Jake, mostly," Ginny said. Harry looked at her, smirking slightly.
"Oh, so we could have left you here alone a bit longer?" he asked. Ginny swatted him lightly.
"I would have gotten angry if you had forgotten about me, Potter. Oh, Sirius, where is Beth? I assumed you would have brought her along?" she said.
"Hey, Ginny, watch what you're saying there. Why would I have wanted to bring Beth along when I have to stop at Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes to get pranks to play on her all year?" Sirius asked. "Besides, she'd tell Snape about everything," he added dejectedly. Ginny giggled at that, rolling her eyes.
"Sirius, you should set examples to your students, not telling them to play pranks on their professors," Ginny said.
"As long as you don't get caught, I'm not going to say a word about you playing pranks on your professors," he replied. Ginny, getting a wicked look on her face, leaned over to whisper something into Harry's ear. A slow smile broke out on his face, and he looked at her, nodding quickly.
"Here you two are, dears," Madam Rosmerta said, setting two plates on the table, full of steaming food. "Can I get the three of you anything?" she asked, looking at Sirius, Harry, and Charlie. They all quickly ordered, Harry stealing a chip from Ginny's plate. She glared at him.
"Wait for your own," she said, eating one herself. Harry rolled his eyes, leaning back in the chair.
"So, we're going to Fred and George's shop, then the Quidditch store, right?" he asked.
"And Honeydukes. We have to have lots of sweets for the school year," Ginny added. "Come on, Harry. You know you want lots of sweets. Maybe a blood flavored lollipop?" Harry groaned.
"Did you know that Ron and Hermione were seriously going to bring me one of those back when I wasn't allowed to go down to Hogsmeade in my third year? I would have been furious."
"Yeah, whatever. The only reason they wouldn't let you go was because they thought Sirius was trying to kill you," Ginny said, smiling at Sirius. Sirius simply rolled his eyes at the younger girl, watching as Harry sighed.
"Who cares why I couldn't go? I was allowed to the next year, and for as long as they continued. Besides, it's not like I . . . never mind," he said, glancing sharply at Jake. Ginny nodded in understanding, remembering that he had used his father's invisibility cloak and the Marauder's Map to get to Hogsmeade in his third year.
"I better get back to the shop. I'll go pay for my dinner, and yours. I'll see you at school, Ginny," Jake said, pushing his chair out and walking off.
"Bye Jake," Ginny said, grinning at him. She leaned back in her seat after he was gone, noticing that everyone was staring at her. She sighed.
"What now?"
"Ginny's got a boyfriend!" Charlie started singing softly. She noticed Harry smiling at her, although the smile looked a little forced in her opinion.
"I don't have a boyfriend, Charlie. He's just nice, and I was alone, and I fixed his arm again, so he offered to get me a butterbeer as payment. If you would please leave me alone about it now, that would be appreciated," she said.
"I don't know, Gin," Sirius said, his brown eyes twinkling. "Not every guy would take you out, put up with Charlie, Harry, and I, and still pay for your lunch. I think he fancies you."
"And I think you're full of it. Now, here comes your food, so hurry up and eat, then we'll go shopping or whatever," Ginny said, grinning as Madam Rosmerta dropped their food off.
After quickly eating, the four went down to Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes. It was Fred's day in the store, Ginny was sure. Sure enough, when they walked in, the energetic redhead bounded over to them.
"Gin, have a sweet?" he offered, grinning at her. Ginny pushed the hand away, smiling just as sweetly.
"No thank you. But, you do look a bit hungry. Perhaps I could buy it and you could eat it?" she suggested. "Really, we have to get supplies to last through the first trip to Hogsmeade," Ginny said. Fred nodded, waving at the fairly empty shop.
"This is the first day I've had to breathe. Everyone's been coming in here this summer, I guess they have more time to have fun. Anyway, I think that you'll find tons of good stuff. We have quills that change the color of your whole hand, gum that turns the chewer's face green, tons of interesting stuff!" Fred said.
"You know, Fred, I was around when you made the majority of these products. I know what you have. Now, where's the lipstick that seals a person's mouth together?" Ginny asked with a grin.
"On whom would you be using that?" Fred asked with a delighted grin. Ginny simply shrugged, waltzing off in the area he had indicated.
"Can you imagine what the school year will be like? Severus was so sure that he wouldn't have to deal with another Weasley prank, seemed to think Ginny was innocent," Sirius laughed.
"Well, you didn't set him straight, did you?" Harry asked. Sirius shook his head and Harry laughed as he watched Ginny thoughtfully examine the products.
"Now, what were you planning on getting, Sirius? We do have some pranks in mind for Severus and Beth, don't we?" Charlie asked in an innocent voice.
"That we do! I'll be right back," he said, rushing off. Harry shook his head sadly, before approaching Ginny.
"Are you getting everything we'll need for the Sirius prank?" he asked.
"Of course. And, a little bit of stuff to use on Colin and the more annoying girls in my year," Ginny said with a smirk. Harry shook his head.
"Leave me out of your plans after the feast tonight. I'll be forced to deduct points, and you know it," Harry whispered.
"Then I won't tell you. I'm sure Melia would be more than generous enough to help me with these pranks. Now, come on, Harry, let's pay for this and see if maybe Fred will give his favorite little sister a discount," Ginny said, heading to the checkout. Fred grinned at Ginny's purchases.
"That's about 2 galleons worth, so I'll charge you a galleon. Come on, now, Gin-Gin. And, I'll throw in some of the Ton-Tongue Toffees that wear off after fifteen minutes," Fred said.
"I knew I liked you the best for some reason," Ginny said, throwing a galleon out. Fred laughed, then looked over at Charlie.
"Better say that quietly, you have to put up with Charlie for the rest of the year," Fred pointed out.
"He wouldn't believe it. Besides, you all know that Bill's my favorite," Ginny said with a cheeky grin before walking off. Harry followed her over to Charlie, and the three of them waited for Sirius. He finally was done, and they all rushed off to Honeydukes, where Ginny stocked up on Chocolate Frogs, Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, and Pumpkin Pasties. Finally dragging Ginny out, the boys took her into the Quidditch store, examining new styles of brooms and different types of gear. Ginny leaned impatiently against the wall, looking up at the ceiling and patiently waiting.
"All right," she said after half an hour. "If we don't get back soon, you'll not have any time to change for dinner, or prepare for classes tomorrow. Let's go, shall we?" Ginny asked. Harry looked up guiltily.
"I suppose Ginny's right. Come on, guys," he said, leading the way out of the store. She started walking with them but soon stopped.
"What is it Gin?" Harry asked as they all stopped.
"Race you back to the castle," she said. Harry grinned widely.
"You're on! On the count of three," he said. He started counting, and at three Ginny sprinted off, running quickly. She heard Harry's footsteps pounding behind her, and leaped over a rock in her path. She was determined to beat him this time.
Racing quickly down the path, she spotted a little-known track and ran up it, running more quickly as she approached the Hogwarts gates. She finally reached the gates, finding them empty. She leaned against them, panting slightly.
"Where did you disappear to?" Harry asked, panting and leaning against the gates next to her. Soon, Charlie and Sirius appeared, smiling at them.
"Side trial, it's usually faster. Come on, let's go in. We need to get ready for tonight, I'm sure Sirius has some plans," Ginny said with a grin. Harry laughed, pushing the gates open as the four of them made their way to the huge castle in front of them.
"I bet your stuff is already in Gryffindor Tower," Charlie commented.
"It is. I asked the house-elves to go ahead and move it. Gin, you can come back to the staff wing if you wish, but the password to the tower is 'verus amor'. See you around," Sirius said, walking off.
"Harry, do you want any help, or shall I go get changed?" Ginny asked.
"Doesn't matter. I think I'd like to visit the tower, though," Harry said. They went to the staff wing to get his notes for the next day and then headed up to Gryffindor Tower. The Fat Lady looked suspiciously at Harry, but admitted the two of them when they gave the password. Ginny plopped onto the couch, stretching out and looking over at Harry.
"All right, so tomorrow you have first years, seventh years, and the advanced class, right?" Ginny asked.
"Right. And you'll join me for the first year Ravenclaws and Gryffindors, and your class," Harry said.
"Um hmm . . . So, let's go over this. The first years are going to do what exactly?" Ginny asked.
"Um, I think we're going to have them study the dark creatures, minor ones, of course. They'll also have to learn spells to defend themselves against them. The Seventh Years will go over the more complex spells, and I'll have your class dueling one another so I can see exactly how good everyone is at things," Harry said. "But, I think that I may have you face off against me, since I know that you have the most talent in there, probably," Harry said.
"I'd certainly hope so. Then, the next day you have third years and fourth years, right?" Ginny asked.
"Yeah. The third years are still doing magical creatures, focusing on boggarts and the like, but they will start their defensive training in spells. Then, in fourth year classes will do the Unforgivable Curses and the Patronus, which should take up most of their year, and that's about it. I have the fifth and sixth and second year the next day, that's spells for the first two, and creatures for the last," Harry intoned.
"Good boy. I'll be there to help whenever I can, you know that. So, you're set," Ginny said, smiling at him. He grinned, leaning back into the couch.
"Well, I'm going back to my rooms to get changed and all, then I'll come back to get you before dinner?" he questioned.
"Sounds good. Make it about thirty minutes prior to when the lot of the professors have to get there, if we want to do the Charm on Sirius," Ginny said. Harry nodded.
"Sure. I'll be here soon," he said. Ginny giggled, and went up to her room to change into her robes and uniform and fix her hair again. She lay on her bed, watching the clock before taking a quick nap.
She was awoken a short half an hour later by Harry. He had burst in and exclaimed they needed to go do the prank on Sirius. They hurried down to the Great Hall and quickly Ginny pulled out one of her purchases that she bought at Fred's shop. She quickly placed the fork in Sirius's place setting. The fork would make his food jump away from his fork every time he used it and it would eventually explode, sending the food in his face.
"Is that all?" Harry asked. Ginny rolled her eyes at him and waved her wand over the chair, charming it to make Sirius turn purple.
"I think I'm done now," she said, sitting at Gryffindor's table. "Are you going to be okay. You're beginning to look all pale and shaky again. Sit down and chill. We have about forty-five minutes, right?" she asked. Harry nodded, and they sat at the table talking until all of the professors showed up.
"I better get up to the high table. I assume that you'll wait for everyone in the Main Hall?" Harry asked.
"Uh huh. Just so you know, I did put a Timing Charm on Sirius's chair. It won't go off until we've started eating dinner. Now, everyone should be arriving soon, and Professor Snape will be meeting the first years. I'm going to go wait for Melia," she said.
"Great. See you soon, then," Harry said, walking u to the High Table. Ginny nodded, before walking out into the main hall. Soon, a throng of students came in, rushing around.
"Ginny!" Melia shouted. Ginny ran over to Melia and hugged her quickly, before looking down at Colin (he was a few inches shorter than she was).
"Hey guys. Shall we head to the table?" she asked. They all headed in, sitting towards the end of the table.
"Harry's here!" Colin said, sounding awed.
"Yes, he's teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. Sirius Black, his godfather, will be teaching Transfiguration, and Beth Warren will be teaching Charms. Oh, Neville Longbottom is teaching Herbology, if anyone can believe it. Poor Neville, no one will respect him," she said, frowning.
"Sure we will," Melia said. Ginny sighed.
"We will. The Slytherins won't," she said. Melia nodded, biting her lip.
"I guess you are right. I don't know; maybe there will be something that we can do. I don't guess anyone is friends with any of the Slytherins, though," she said.
"Actually, Jake Tapp is quite nice. I met him down in Hogsmeade today. He's a Slytherin, but fought with us last year, so he's halfway decent. He's really nice," Ginny said.
"How nice? And, you think he's cute or something?" Melia asked. Ginny grinned mischievously.
"Oh yeah. He's that one right there," she said, nodding at the Slytherin table and pointed him out. Melia looked at him, grinning as soon as she saw him.
"Definitely. He's very good looking, I'd go for him. Who'd care if he's a Slytherin?" she asked. Ginny giggled, then looked up at the High Table.
"Harry, Charlie, and Sirius care. I was hanging out with him at the Three Broomsticks earlier, and they started teasing me. Of course, the first thing on Harry's mind was whether or not he was a good Slytherin or a bad Slytherin. Doesn't that make you think of the Wizard of Oz? Are you a good witch, or a bad witch?" Ginny asked, grinning.
"What's the Wizard of Oz?" Melia asked mystified.
"It's a Muggle movie. Dad's obsessed with all things Muggle, so he made us go watch it a couple of years ago. I don't really remember where we saw it though . . . Oh well," Ginny said, shrugging. They laughed as the terrified first years were brought into the Great Hall. Dumbledore stood and gave a brief speech, before returning to his seat while Snape sorted the students.
It was automatic, clapping for anyone put into Gryffindor. Ginny simply watched as they all were brought in and sorted, but really paid no attention. Finally, the last of the students had been sorted, and Dumbledore stood again.
"I would like to introduce your new professors. Professor Sirius Black will be teaching Transfiguration, Neville Longbottom will teach Herbology, Beth Warren will be teaching Charms, and Harry Potter will teach Defense Against the Dark Arts. The Forbidden Forest is, as its name implies, forbidden. Also, there is to be no magic in the hallways. Now, please eat," Dumbledore said, waving his arm. The tables were soon covered in food, and everyone started eating their food.
"So, you two are in the Advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts class, right?" Ginny asked. Melia nodded, taking a bite of the roll.
"Yes! Oh, that means that Harry will be able to work with us intimately!" Colin exclaimed. I'm sure Colin would love for him and Harry to get intimate, Ginny thought, stifling a giggle and sharing an amused glance with Melia. Melia was quickly turning red as she fought to control her giggles; her mind was obviously following the same track as Ginny's.
"It means Harry's going to be harder on us," Ginny said, her giggles having subsided. "He'll expect a lot, but he hasn't gotten everything planned out yet. It should be fun," Ginny said.
"How do you know?" Colin asked.
"Didn't I mention that I would be his assistant?" Ginny asked. "Oh, well. I'm helping Harry out," she said, before jumping at a loud explosion. Her eyes swerved to the scene, laughing at the sight of a very purple Sirius (including his hair, robes, and eyes) covered in food. She started laughing, glancing over at Harry. Harry was beside himself with laughter, and Beth was laughing just as hard.
"Very nice," Sirius said, wiping the food from his face. "I just want to know who did this." The entire hall was silent, save an occasional snicker or giggle. He finally shrugged, grabbing a roll and shoving it into his mouth.
"Anyway, why do you get to be Harry's assistant?" Colin demanded.
"I'm one of his best friends, and the only of his best friends who still goes to school here, and he knows my talent in Defense Against the Dark Arts. And, I can heal somebody if something goes wrong," Ginny said, rolling her eyes.
"I want to be his assistant," Colin said.
"Good for you," Ginny said. "I have to lead the little kids back to the tower now, you want to come?" she asked, addressing Melia and Colin. They both nodded, following her to the end of the table.
"Hey, first years! You get to follow me to Gryffindor Tower!" Ginny exclaimed. About ten kids stood up and followed her out of the room.
"Okay, I'm the Gryffindor seventh year prefect, Ginny Weasley. There is also a sixth year, and a fifth year. They should be in the meeting that Dumbledore is hosting now. I'm showing you the easiest way to get back to the tower, and just so you know, the staircases are prone to changing. You will get lost your first year.
"Also, the people in the pictures move and talk, for the Muggle-Borns out there. Anyway, there is a portrait that guards the entrance to Gryffindor Tower. We have a password to get in, and it changes every month or so. The head of Gryffindor chooses. Sirius Black—the Transfiguration professor—is the head of Gryffindor. Any questions?" Ginny questioned.
"Are we really going to be taught by the Harry Potter?" one girl breathed in a dreamy sigh. Ginny sighed herself, suddenly realizing why Harry never really talked to her before her fifth year if she behaved like that.
"Yes, but don't act like that. Harry, Professor Potter is a normal person. I'm sure he won't appreciate being awed over. Simply respect him," Ginny advised. A few of the younger students were staring at her.
"Gin knows Harry pretty well," Melia said to the first years. "You see, she had this awful crush on him from the day she was born until she was fourteen. What happened then, Gin?"
"I found out that he was a great friend, and I didn't have to date him," Ginny replied. "Look, you know that Harry and I are friends, and I've been trying to put that stupid crush behind me for years, Melia," Ginny said with a frown.
Finally reaching the portrait of the Fat Lady, she looked down at the students. "This is the entrance to Gryffindor Tower. Like I said, you have to know the password to enter. Now, I have to remember what Sir—Professor Black said the password was . . ." Ginny appeared lost in thought, but finally grinned. "Of course! It's verus amor!" she said triumphantly. The Fat Lady swung open.
"Okay, girls down this hallway, guys down that one. There should be a dormitory for first years, so please settle down. We have to be at breakfast at seven tomorrow morning. Classes will start promptly at eight, and the timetables have to be passed out at breakfast. Goodnight," Ginny said, watching them go to their separate dormitories.
"Are you going to bed now?" Melia asked.
"No. Do you want to play chess?" Ginny returned. So, for the next two hours they played chess, with Ginny finally winning, before going to bed.
"Goodnight girls!" Ginny said as she crawled into her bed and stretched out. Her last thought before sleep was how much more comfortable the beds were in the staff wing.