*
The bright morning sun shown through the window and fell on the sleeping face of a sixth year Gryffendoor, she blinked her sleepy eyes in the light and rolled over, pulling her pillow over her head with her.
"Ginny! Get up, it's almost time for breakfast," Ginny heard her friend, Hermione, say as she shook her awake.
"Ok, ok I'm getting up, really."
"Well hurry up, I'm not going to wait forever," Hermione joked. Ginny watched her friend go down the, probably to wait for her with Ron. Ginny pulled her bright red hair back in a neat ponytail and put on the slightest bit on cover-up and lip-gloss. She wished she could be naturally pretty like Hermione. She didn't have to put on any makeup to look pretty and Ginny really envied her, not a single pimple or blemish. Ginny put her face up closer to the mirror and looked at her single pimple, right smack in the middle on her forehead. Why do I always get just one bad one right in the middle of my forehead? I look like one of those old priests we saw in Egypt. Ginny piled on some more cover-up on the little booger, threw on her hand-me-down robes and ran down the stairs to meet Hermione and her brother and Harry for breakfast.
"Good morning Ginny, you look nice today." Ginny heard Harry say when she appeared at the bottom of the stairs. Ginny looked the legendary boy over for the thousandth time. His beautiful green eyes, his bright complexion, his hear-breaker smile, his scar hidden under locks of unruly black hair. He really was the most handsome boy she knew, well, almost.
"Thank you Harry," she blushed and smiled him.
"Come on Gin, we're missing precious eating time!" Ron said to his sister.
*
"I can't wait until we start our O.W.L.S this year! I've been studying all semester." Hermione chirped in between bites of buttered toast and pumpkin juice. (Yum)
"Speak for yourself, I wish those silly tests didn't even exist." Ron groaned. Ginny giggled a little at her brother. He and Hermione could fight like cats and dogs but he had long ago (about fifth year) told Hermione that he had always had a crush on her and they had been going out ever since, though they still acted like brother and sister the way they fought.
"Ron, could you pass the mashed potatoes?" Harry asked. Ginny looked back at Harry. She could remember the day Ron had told Hermione that he did love her, Harry was happy for them but Ginny could tell that he was really torn up. Everyone knew he had a thing for Hermione, but he was a real gentleman about it. He was still the beat of friends with both of them, and best of all, they were allowing Ginny to be around them more, treating her like one of their little group. This alone made Ginny happiest of all, but she still didn't like seeing Harry so sad, so she told herself that she would do anything to make him happy if she could.
"Harry? Do we still have Quiddich practice today?" Ginny asked, trying to find a reason to strike up a conversation with Harry.
"Yes, we do. You're going to be there right? The team isn't complete without it's keeper." Harry said, giving Ginny a wink. Ginny smiled back. Three years ago if Harry had done this to her she would have blushed like mad and run away, embarrassed that Harry might find out about her mad love for him, but as she matured, so did her feelings. She now considered Harry to be one of her closest friends and was no longer going head over heals in puppy love with him. Now she had a crush on someone else, but she would never tell anyone who her secret infatuation was.
"Look, here's the mail!" Seamus Finnagan yelled as hundreds of owls swooped in and dropped all kinds of letters and packages from home on excited children's laps. Hedwig flew over to Harry and dropped two notes on his lap then busied herself wit h eating small tidbits of his breakfast while he read them.
"Who're those from?" Ron asked.
"This one is from Sirius, and this one from you're mom Ron," Harry said.
"Nothing big then," Ron sighed.
"Oh yeah, are we still going to study together in the library Ron?" Hermione asked.
"YES! I really need to pass these O.W.L.S." Ron moaned. Studying was not his favorite what to pass the time when he was with Hermione.
*
Ginny walked down the halls of Hogwarts to get to her Arithmacy class. She was taking one of the less trodden hallways to get there so she could think in silence.
"What are you doing all alone in my hallway carrot top?" a high- pitched voice asked. Ginny just kept walking.
"Ignoring me are we?" the voice said, and then Ginny felt something cold and wet on the back of her neck. Peeves the Poltergeist was having his daily dose of mischief and throwing eggs at her. She started walking faster, clutching her used books to her as she felt another egg hit her back and her head. Tears started to well up in her eyes, it didn't hurt or anything but it was still no fun to get picked on. Suddenly Ginny heard a voice behind her, not Peeves voice, but another voice. A voice that sent shivers up her spine.
"Peeves, you bastard. You think it's fun to make girls cry?" Ginny stopped and slowly turned around.
"Hahahahaha, like you can stop me from doing what I want. Take thins!" Peeves laughed, throwing the rest of the eggs in his hand at the boy contradiction him, then hovering away down the corridor laughing maliciously. The boy slowly turned around, wiping egg away from his eyes. Ginny's heart almost stopped.
"Why did you do that?" She asked.
"You wanted me to let him pick on you?"
"No, er.that is, thanks for doing that but, why would you do that for me, of all people?" Ginny asked. The boy didn't answer but just stood there staring at her, and she thought she saw a small smile crack on his face.
"Here, let me help you." Ginny said. She pulled out a pocket- handkerchief and started mopping up some of the egg on his face. She felt her face get warm and she knew she was blushing, she could never tell him that she liked him, maybe even loved him. Suddenly he reached up and grabbed her wrist. Ginny looked him in the eyes and he lifted his other hand to wipe a few remaining tears from her eyes, gently put his hand under her chin and began to lower his head to hers. Ginny knew what was coming; it was what she had dreamed of for so long. Their lips met and Ginny dropped her books. She him wince as the books landed on his feet and Ginny almost pulled away from the kiss to pick them up and apologize, but when she tried he just pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her.
"Draco." Ginny said, her words muffled through the kiss. "Thank you."